Scientific details

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ambrosia artemisiifolia

 COMMON NAME(S): Annual ragweed,common ragweed, short ragweed
SYNONYM(S): Ambrosia diversifolia (Piper) Rydberg, A. elatior L., A. glanulosa Scheele, A. longistylis Nuttall, A. media Rydberg, A. monophylla (Walter) Rydberg
FAMILY: ASTERACEAE (COMPOSITAE) - Sunflower family
ORIGIN: North America
HABITAT: Disturbed areas
RANGE: Throughout United States and Canada except Alaska, Yukon, Keewatin, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands
TYPE: Annual herb
HEIGHT: 4-6'
CHARACTERISTICS: Stems erect, hairy
LEAVES: Lower leaves opposite, upper leaves alternate, simple, 2-5" long, broadly oval or lance-shaped; deeply dissected and so appearing feather-like
FLOWERS: Tiny heads of inconspicuous flowers grouped on spike-like stems, male and female flowers in separate heads on the same plant
FLOWERING SEASON: Summer, fall
FRUITS: Small, ovoid, dry, beaked, fused to a single seed

ALLERGENIC COMPONENTS: Pollen, foliage
ALLERGENIC PRINCIPLES: Oleoresin, pollen proteins
ALLERGENIC PROPERTIES: Respiratory and dermatological
COMMENTS: The pollen of ragweed is a major contributor to hayfever allergies. Contact with the plant has also caused dermatitis and photoallergic dermatitis.

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Information contained in the pages of Allergenica.com was compiled from a variety of references, however plants growing under different environmental conditions often vary considerably in some characteristics and behavior, and there is no guarantee that a given plant will always conform to the description provided nor will always affect the body's sensitivity to allergens in ways described here. Allergenica.com and Betrock Information Systems assume neither responsibility nor liability for the information presented in these pages.
For additional information and professional advice, please consult a specialist in allergy and immunology - Copyrigt © - 2000-2005