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''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'', with the common names common ragweed, annual ragweed, and low ragweed, is a species of the genus ''
Ambrosia In the ancient Greek myths, ''ambrosia'' (, grc, ἀμβροσία 'immortality'), the food or drink of the Greek gods, is often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it. It was brought to the gods in Olympus by ...
'' native to regions of
the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with ...
.


Taxonomy

The species name, ''artemisiifolia'', is given because the leaves were thought to bear a resemblance to the leaves of Artemisia, the true wormwoods. It has also been called the common names: American wormwood, bitterweed, blackweed, carrot weed, hay fever weed, Roman wormwood, short ragweed, stammerwort, stickweed, tassel weed.NPIN−Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network: ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia''
/ref>


Distribution

The plant is native to: North America across Canada, the eastern and central United States, the Great Plains, and in
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
; the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...
on Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica; and South America in the southern
bioregion A bioregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a biogeographic realm, but larger than an ecoregion or an ecosystem, in the World Wide Fund for Nature classification scheme. There is also an attempt to use the ...
(
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay), the western bioregion (
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
, Peru), and Brazil. The distribution of common ragweed in Europe is expected to expand northwards in the future due to climate change. It is the most widespread species of the genus in North America, to which most of the other species of ''
Ambrosia In the ancient Greek myths, ''ambrosia'' (, grc, ἀμβροσία 'immortality'), the food or drink of the Greek gods, is often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it. It was brought to the gods in Olympus by ...
'' are endemic. During the summer it causes
allergic reaction Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derm ...
in those that are susceptible.


Description

''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'' is an
annual plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical l ...
that emerges in late spring. It propagates mainly by rhizomes, but also by seed. It is much-branched, and grows up to in height.Jepson eFlora (TJM2): ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia''
. accessed 26 August 2016.
The pinnately divided soft and hairy leaves are long. Its bloom period is July to October in North America. Its pollen is wind-dispersed, and can be a strong
allergen An allergen is a type of antigen that produces an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat that would otherwise be harmless to the body. Such reactions are called allergies. In technical terms ...
to people with hay fever. It produces 2–4 mm
obconic In botany, an obconic is an inverted cone shape. The term is most frequently applied to certain fruit or hypanthium structures with the apical end attached to the stem; however, less frequently the usage may apply to the pistil structure. In the c ...
green to brown fruit. It sets seed in later summer or autumn. Since the seeds persist into winter and are numerous and rich in oil, they are relished by songbirds and
upland game bird Upland game bird is an American term which refers to non- water fowl game birds in groundcover-rich terrestrial ecosystems above wetlands and riparian zones (i.e. "uplands"), which are commonly hunted with gun dogs (pointing breeds, flushing spaniel ...
s.


Invasive species

Common ragweed, ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'', is a widespread invasive species, and can become a noxious weed, that has
naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
in: Europe; temperate
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
and the Indian subcontinent; temperate northern and southern
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and Macaronesia; Oceania in Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii; and Southwestern North America in California and the Southwestern United States. A scientific study investigated the genomic basis of invasiveness in ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'', introduced to Europe in the late 19th century, by resequencing 655 ragweed genomes, including 308 herbarium specimens collected up to 190 years ago. In invasive European populations, the study found selection signatures in defense genes and lower prevalence of disease-inducing plant pathogens. Together with temporal changes in population structure associated with introgression from closely related Ambrosia species, escape from specific microbial enemies likely favored the remarkable success of common ragweed as an invasive species. Common ragweed is a very competitive weed and can produce yield losses in soybeans as high as 30 percent. Control with night tillage reduces emergence by around 45 percent. Small grains in rotation will also suppress common ragweed if they are overseeded with
clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus h ...
. Otherwise, the ragweed will grow and mature and produce seeds in the small grain stubble. Its wind-blown pollen is highly allergenic.


Ragweed control

several herbicides were effective against common ragweed, although resistant populations were known to exist. In 2007 several ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'' populations were glyphosate resistant, exclusively in the USA. the ragweed leaf beetle, '' Ophraella communa'', has been found south of the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
in southern Switzerland and northern Italy. Many of the attacked plants were completely defoliated.
Zygogramma suturalis ''Zygogramma suturalis'', commonly known as the ragweed leaf beetle, is a species of leaf beetle belonging to the genus ''Zygogramma''. Native to North America, it has been introduced into Russia and China for the biological pest control of rag ...
was introduced to Russia, and then China, for ragweed control, with very positive initial results. SMARTER is a European interdisciplinary network of experts involved in the control of ragweed, health care professionals, aerobiologists, ecologists, economists, and atmospheric and agricultural modellers.


Chemical composition, and uses


Sesquiterpene lactones and molluscicide

Three sesquiterpene lactones isolated from the aerial parts of ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'' were identified as psilostachyin A, psilostachyin B and psilostachyin C. All of them have some
molluscicidal Molluscicides () – also known as snail baits, snail pellets, or slug pellets – are pesticides against molluscs, which are usually used in agriculture or gardening, in order to control gastropod pests specifically slugs and snails which damag ...
activity against the small tropical freshwater snail ''
Oncomelania hupensis ''Oncomelania hupensis'' is a species of very small tropical freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pomatiopsidae. Distribution ''Oncomelania hupensis'' has been found in China, Taiwan, and also in Japan, the Philippine ...
''.


Medicinal

''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'' has been a traditional
medicinal plant Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...
for Native American tribes, including the Cherokee,
Lakota Lakota may refer to: * Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples Place names In the United States: * Lakota, Iowa * Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County * La ...
, Iroquois,
Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota ...
, and Delaware.


Phytoremediation

''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'' is used in phytoremediation projects remediating
soil pollution Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activit ...
, for removing heavy metals such as lead from contaminated soil.


Gallery

File:Common ragweed at distance.jpg, Plant from distance File:Ambrosia artemisiifolia004.jpg, Close-up of leaf File:Ambrosia artemisiifolia inflorescence.jpg, Inflorescence (male capitula) File:Ambrosia artemisiifolia male flowers.jpg, Close-up of male capitula File:Ambrosia artemisiifolia - female flowers RHu.jpg, Female flowers in leaf axil File:Ambrosia artemisiifolia.jpg, Achenes File:Ambrosia artem1-5.jpg, Pollen grain (scanning electron microscope)


References


External links

*
Calflora Database: ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'' (Annual ragweed, Common ragweed, Low ragweed)
��non-native/naturalized species in California
Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia''
��non-native/naturalized species in California
UC CalPhotos gallery: ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia''
{{Authority control artemisiifolia Flora of Canada Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of the United States Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of the Caribbean Flora of southern South America Flora of western South America Flora of the Appalachian Mountains Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America) Flora of the Great Plains (North America) Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Phytoremediation plants