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| Common ragweed - Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. |
| Home > common ragweed |
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| Common ragweed leaf. |
Common ragweed flowering branch. |
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| Common ragweed seedling. |
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Life cycle: Erect, branching summer annual.
Leaves: Cotyledons are thick and oval to spatula-shaped. Leaves are fernlike, once or twice compound and usually hairy. Upper leaves are alternate; lower leaves may be opposite or alternate with distinct petioles.
Stems: Usually hairy, erect and branched up to 6 feet tall.
Flowers and fruit: Flowers are generally inconspicuous, found on terminal branches. They produce prolific amounts of pollen. The seed is enclosed in a single-seeded, woody fruit with several spikes resembling a crown.
Reproduction: Seeds. |
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Similar weeds: Giant ragweed (A. trifida L.) Differs by having cotyledons three to four times larger; three- to five-lobed leaves opposite in arrangement; and a height that may reach 15 feet.
Western ragweed (A. psilostachya DC.) Differs by having a perennial nature with prolific creeping roots, densely hairy leaves and a height typically not above 4 feet. |
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| Giant ragweed seedling and leaf. |
Giant ragweed leaf. |
Western ragweed root sprout and leaf. |
Western ragweed leaf. |
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