hazelnuts,
kiwifruit
Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi in North American, British and continental European English) or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus '' Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwi ...
,
parsley,
potato
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...
es,
bananas,
melon
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The ...
s,
cucumber
Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated Vine#Horticultural climbing plants, creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical Fruit, fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables. s, and
zucchini
The zucchini (; plural: zucchini or zucchinis), courgette (; plural: courgettes) or baby marrow (''Cucurbita pepo'') is a summer squash, a vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and epicarp (rind) are st ...
. Because cooking usually
denatures the proteins that cause the reaction, the foods are more allergenic when eaten raw; exceptions are celery and nuts, which may not be safe even when cooked. Signs of reaction can include itching, burning, and swelling of the mouth and throat, runny eyes and nose,
hives, and, less commonly, vomiting, diarrhea,
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
, and
anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of use of emergency medication on site. It typically causes more than one of the follow ...
. These symptoms are due to the abnormal increase of IgE antibodies which attach to a type of immune cell called mast cells. When the ragweed antigen then attaches to these antibodies the mast cells release histamine and other symptom evoking chemicals.
Merck & Co, under license from
allergy immunotherapy
Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies, such as insect bites, and asthma. Immunotherapy involves exposing people to larger and larger amounts of allergen in ...
(AIT) company
ALK, has launched a ragweed allergy immunotherapy treatment in sublingual tablet form in the US and Canada.
As of 2006, research into allergy immunotherapy treatment involved administering doses of the allergen to accustom the body to induce specific long-term tolerance.
Control and eradication
Chemical spraying has been used for control in large areas. Because ragweed only reacts to some of the more aggressive herbicides, it is highly recommended to consult professionals when deciding on dosage and methodology, especially near urban areas. Effective active ingredients include those that are
glyphosate
Glyphosate (IUPAC name: ''N''-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum Herbicide, systemic herbicide and Crop desiccation, crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate, which acts by inhibiting the plan ...
-based (
Roundup,
Glyphogan,
Glialka),
sulfosate-based (
Medallon), and
glufosinate ammonium-based (
Finale 14SL
Finale may refer to:
Pieces of music
* Finale (music), the last movement of a piece
* Finale (album), ''Finale'' (album), a 1977 album by Loggins and Messina
* "Finale B", a 1996 song from the rock opera ''Rent''
* "Finale", a song by Anthrax fro ...
). In badly infested areas, are usually dispersed. In 2007 several ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'' populations were glyphosate resistant, exclusively in the USA.
Where herbicides cannot be used, mowing may be repeated about every three weeks, as it grows back rapidly. In the past, ragweed was usually cut down, left to dry, and then burned.
[ This method is used less often now, because of the ]pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
caused by smoke. Manually uprooting ragweed is generally ineffective, and skin contact can cause allergic reaction. If uprooting is the method of choice, it should be performed before flowering. There is evidence that mechanical and chemical control methods are actually no more effective in the long run than leaving the weed in place.
Fungal rusts and the leaf-eating beetle '' Ophraella communa'' have been proposed as agents of biological pest control of ragweeds, but the latter may also attack sunflower
The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...
s, and applications for permits and funding to test these controls have been unsuccessful. The beetle has, however, appeared in Europe, either on its own or as an uncontrolled introduction, and it has started making a dent into
Ambrosia populations there.
Species
There are about 50 species in genus ''Ambrosia''. Species include:''Ambrosia''
The Plant List.
* ''
Ambrosia acanthicarpa
''Ambrosia acanthicarpa'' is a North American species of bristly annual plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus ''Ambrosia (plant), Ambrosia'' are called ragweeds. The species has common names including flatspine bur ragweed, Hooker ...
''
Hook. – flatspine bur ragweed, annual bursage, sand bursage
* ''
Ambrosia acuminata''
(Brandegee) W.W.Payne
* ''
Ambrosia ambrosioides''
(Cav.) W.W.Payne – ambrosia-leaf bur ragweed, big bursage, ambrosia bursage
* ''
Ambrosia arborescens
''Ambrosia arborescens'' is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Andes from Colombia south to Bolivia.
In its native range, ''A. arborescens'' is used as a Medicinal plants, medicinal plant with analgesic, Anti-inflam ...
''
Mill. – marko, altamisa
* ''
Ambrosia artemisiifolia
''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'', with the common names common ragweed, annual ragweed, and low ragweed, is a species of the genus '' Ambrosia'' native to regions of the Americas.
Taxonomy
The species name, ''artemisiifolia'', is given because the le ...
''
L. – common ragweed, short ragweed, Roman wormwood
* ''
Ambrosia artemisioides''
Meyen & Walp.
* ''
Ambrosia bidentata''
Michx. – lanceleaf ragweed, southern ragweed
* ''
Ambrosia bryantii
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 ...
''
(Curran) Payne
* ''
Ambrosia camphorata
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 ...
''
(Greene) W.W.Payne
* ''
Ambrosia canescens''
A.Gray – hairy ragweed
* ''
Ambrosia carduacea''
(Greene) W.W.Payne
* ''
Ambrosia chamissonis''
(Less.) Greene – silver burr ragweed, beach-bur
* ''
Ambrosia cheiranthifolia''
A.Gray – Rio Grande ragweed, South Texas ambrosia
* ''
Ambrosia chenopodiifolia''
(Benth.) W.W.Payne – San Diego bur ragweed, San Diego bursage
* ''
Ambrosia confertiflora''
DC. – weakleaf bur ragweed
* ''
Ambrosia cordifolia''
(A.Gray) W.W.Payne – Tucson bur ragweed, heartleaf bursage
* ''
Ambrosia deltoidea
''Ambrosia deltoidea'' is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names triangle bur ragweed, triangle bursage, and triangleleaf bursage.
Distribution
The plant is native to the Sonoran Desert re ...
''
(Torr.) W.W.Payne – triangle bur ragweed, triangle bursage
* ''
Ambrosia dentata
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 ...
''
(Cabrera) M.O.Dillon
* ''
Ambrosia divaricata
In the ancient Greek mythology, 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 g ...
''
(Brandegee) Payne
* ''
Ambrosia diversifolia''
(Piper) Rydb.
* ''
Ambrosia dumosa
''Ambrosia dumosa'', the burro-weed or white bursage, a North American species of plants in the family Asteraceae. It is a common constituent of the creosote-bush scrub community throughout the Mojave desert of California, Nevada, and Utah and ...
''
(A.Gray) W.W.Payne – burrobush, white bursage
* ''
Ambrosia eriocentra''
(A.Gray) W.W.Payne – woolly fruit bur ragweed, hollyleaf bursage
* ''
Ambrosia flexuosa''
(A.Gray) W.W.Payne
* ''
Ambrosia grayi
''Ambrosia grayi'', the woollyleaf bur ragweed, is a North American species of plants in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the west-central part of the Great Plains of the United States, in the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexic ...
''
(A.Nelson) Shinners – woollyleaf bur ragweed, lagoonweed
*
''Ambrosia'' × ''helenae'' Rouleau – Helen ragweed
* ''
Ambrosia hispida
Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus ''Ambrosia'' in the aster family (biology), family, Asteraceae. They are distributed in the tropics, tropical and subtropics, subtropical regions of the Americas, especially North America, ''
Pursh – coastal ragweed
* ''
Ambrosia humi''
León de la Luz & Rebman[
* '' Ambrosia ilicifolia'' (A.Gray) W.W.Payne – hollyleaf bur ragweed
* ''Ambrosia'' × ''intergradiens'' W.H.Wagner – intergrading ragweed
* '' Ambrosia johnstoniorum'' Henrickson
* '' Ambrosia linearis'' (Rydb.) W.W.Payne – streaked bur ragweed
* '']Ambrosia magdalenae
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 ...
'' (Brandegee) W.W.Payne
* ''Ambrosia maritima
Ambrosia maritima, the sea ragweed, is a species of herb in the family Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Co ...
'' L.
* '' Ambrosia microcephala'' DC.
* '' Ambrosia monogyra'' (Torr. & A.Gray) Strother & B.G.Baldwin – singlewhorl burrobrush
* ''Ambrosia nivea
In the ancient Greek mythology, 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 g ...
'' (B.L.Rob. & Fernald) W.W.Payne
* ''Ambrosia pannosa
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 ...
'' W.W.Payne
* '' Ambrosia peruviana'' Willd. – ragweed, altamisa
* ''Ambrosia'' × ''platyspina'' (Seaman) Strother & B.G.Baldwin
* '' Ambrosia polystachya'' DC.
* ''Ambrosia psilostachya
''Ambrosia psilostachya'' is a species of ragweed known by the common names Cuman ragweed and perennial ragweed, and western ragweed.
Distribution and habitat
The plant is widespread across much of North America (United States, Canada, and nort ...
'' DC. – Cuman ragweed, western ragweed, perennial ragweed
* ''Ambrosia pumila
''Ambrosia pumila'' is a rare species of herbaceous perennial plant known by the common names San Diego ragweed and San Diego ambrosia. It is native to far southern California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It grows in floodplains and ...
'' (Nutt.) A.Gray – dwarf bur ragweed, San Diego ambrosia
* ''Ambrosia salsola
''Ambrosia salsola'', commonly called cheesebush, winged ragweed, burrobush, white burrobrush, and desert pearl, is a species of perennial shrub in the family Asteraceae native to deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico ...
'' (Torr. & A. Gray) Strother & B.G. Baldwin
* ''Ambrosia scabra
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 ...
'' Hook. & Arn.
* ''Ambrosia tacorensis
In the ancient Greek mythology, 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 g ...
'' Meyen
* '' Ambrosia tarapacana'' Phil.
* ''Ambrosia tenuifolia
In the ancient Greek mythology, 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 g ...
'' Spreng. – slimleaf bur ragweed, lacy ambrosia
* ''Ambrosia tomentosa
''Ambrosia tomentosa'', the skeletonleaf bur ragweed, silverleaf povertyweed, or skeleton-leaf bursage, is a North American species of perennial plants in the family Asteraceae.
Skeletonleaf bur ragweed is native to the west-central part of the ...
'' Nutt. – skeletonleaf bur ragweed
* ''Ambrosia trifida
''Ambrosia trifida'', the giant ragweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico.
Distribution
It is present in Europe a ...
'' L. – great ragweed, giant ragweed
* '' Ambrosia velutina'' O.E.Schulz
* '' Ambrosia villosissima'' Forssk.
See also
* List of Lepidoptera that feed on ragweeds
Ragweeds (''Ambrosia'' species) are used as food plants by the caterpillars (larvae) of some Lepidoptera species including:
;Monophagous species that feed exclusively on ''Ambrosia'' species:
*''Bucculatrix'' leaf-miners:
:*'' B. agnella'' - fee ...
References
External links
*
GRIN Species Records of ''Ambrosia''
. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q844270
Allergology
Ruderal species
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus