Plant Name
Scientific Name: Ambrosia ambrosioides
Synonym: Franseria ambrosioides
Common Names: Ambrosia Leaf Bur Ragweed, Ambrosia Leaf Burr-Ragweed, Canyon Ragweed
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Shrub, Subshrub
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland (canyons)
Flower Color: Yellowish to yellowish tan
Flowering Season: Spring
Height: To 5 feet (1.5 m) tall or more
Description: The flower heads are clustered on terminal and lateral flower spikes. The flowers are wind-pollinated and are followed by spiny burs. The leaves are simple, dark green in color, mostly alternate, petiolate, hairy, coarsely toothed, lanceolate to narrowly triangular in shape, and up to 7 inches (18 cm) long. The stems are reddish brown in color and covered in bristly hair. The plants are usually rangy in appearance.
Special Characteristics
Allergenic – The flowers have highly allergenic pollen, and skin contact with the plants may cause contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus: Ambrosia L. – ragweed
Species: Ambrosia ambrosioides (Cav.) Payne – ambrosia leaf bur ragweed
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