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Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Ambrosia artemisiifolia - annual ragweed

Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Asteraceae


   
 
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Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Annual   Similar Species: Ambrosia acanthicarpa, A. psilostachya, A. confertiflora
General Desc: Stems upright, hairy, rough; leaves highly dissected, opposite attachment below, alternate above.
Identification notes: Annual; erect stems; leaves thin, fern-like, deeply lobed with many side lobes, lower leaves deeply lobed again (bipinnatifid) and attached opposite, upper leaves alternate attachment; flower heads along the length of slender, elongated spikes.
Height: 8 to 40 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Found on roadsides, in old fields and other waste places.
Plant Communities: Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 5200 - 8000 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: Green, yellowish-green, brown     Shape: Inconspicuous not in clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: Aug - Sep
Description: Heads disc flowers; terminal spike-like male flower clusters 1 to 4 inches long, may have 2 short side spikes; female flowers sessile, single, 1/8 inch long, green, turning yellow-green and brown as it matures; female and male flowers in separate heads.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green     Leaf Type: Compound     Leaf Shape: Pinnatifid     Leaf Margin: Toothed     Leaf Attachment: Alternate and opposite     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Leaves and stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Pinkish-red stems grooved and hairy; green leaves to 6 inches long, 4 inches wide, lower leaves opposite, upper alternate along the stem, deeply lobed, base much wider than the tip; margins smooth or toothed.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Brown   
Fruit Type: Achene
Fruit Notes: Woody with 4 to 7 spine-like projections, resembling a crown.
Seed Notes: Numerous seeds per flower head, viable for up to 5 years.



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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