Common Ragweed

Plant Info

Also known as:	Annual Ragweed
Scientific name:	Ambrosia artemisiifolia
Family:	Aster (Asteraceae)
Life cycle:	annual
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun to part shade; fields, along roads, waste areas
Bloom season:	summer
Plant height:	1 to 3 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park Rice Creek Trail Corridor Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park

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Detailed Information

Flower:

Flowers are green, tiny and bead-like on cylindrical spikes from 1 to 6 inches long. One plant usually has many branches, with 1 or more spikes at the end of most. 2 or more smaller spikes often surround a longer main spike.

Leaves and stem:

Leaves are deeply divided and fern-like, generally egg-shaped in outline, up to 6 inches long and 4 inches wide near the base. Leaves are hairy but may become smooth with age. The lower leaves are oppositely attached, the upper are alternate. The main stem is covered in long, stiff, white hairs and often has a purple tint.

Fruit:

Flowers spread out as a single seed develops from each, with small yellowish to brown projections on the crown.

Notes:

Ragweed produces the pollen that is the bane of hayfever sufferers everywhere. It can become quite bushy and grow in clumps or colonies.

More photos

• a budding Common Ragweed plant
• a small Common Ragweed plant gone to seed

More green wildflowers. Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN July 2006 and July-August 2007

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?

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Please: Do not ask about where to buy seed or other gardening questions, are plants edible, etc. I am not a horticulturist or botanist, just an enthusiastic hobbyist so I probably don't know the answer. Please check the links page for additional resources. -thanks much

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