Ambrosia trifida

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Campanulids
Ordo: Asterales

Familia: Asteraceae
Subfamilia: Asteroideae
Tribus: Heliantheae
Subtribus: Ambrosiinae
Genus: Ambrosia
Species: Ambrosia trifida
Varietas: A. t. var. texana
Name

Ambrosia trifida L., 1753
Synonyms

Ambrosia integrifolia Muhl. ex Willd.
Ambrosia trifida var. heterophylla Kuntze
Ambrosia trifida var. integrifolia (Muhl. ex Willd.) Torr. & A. Gray

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Northern America
USA (Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington State, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming), Canada (Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Isl., Quebec, Saskatchewan), Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Hidalgo, Queretaro, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Veracruz

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus II: 987. Reference page.
USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, 6 March 2006 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Links

International Plant Names Index. 2018. Ambrosia trifida. Published online. Accessed: January 30 2018.
The Plant List 2013. Ambrosia trifida in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 January 30.
Tropicos.org 2018. Ambrosia trifida. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 January 30.
Hassler, M. 2018. Ambrosia trifida. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 January 30. Reference page.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Ambrosia trifida in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
English: Great ragweed
suomi: Sormituoksukki
français: Grande herbe à poux

Ambrosia trifida, the giant ragweed, is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower family. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico.[1]

Distribution

It is present in Europe and Asia as an introduced species, and it is known as a common weed in many regions.[3] Its common names include great ragweed, Texan great ragweed, giant ragweed, tall ragweed, blood ragweed, perennial ragweed, horseweed,[4] buffaloweed, and kinghead.[5]
Description

This is an annual herb usually growing up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall, but known to reach over 6 m (20 ft) in rich, moist soils. The tough stems have woody bases and are branching or unbranched.[5] Most leaves are oppositely arranged. The blades are variable in shape, sometimes palmate with five lobes, and often with toothed edges. The largest can be over 25 cm (9.8 in) long by 20 cm (7.9 in) wide. They are borne on petioles several centimeters long. They are glandular and rough in texture. The species is monoecious, with plants bearing inflorescences containing both pistillate and staminate flowers. The former are clustered at the base of the spike and the latter grow at the end. The fruit is a bur a few millimeters long tipped with several tiny spines.[1][6]
As a weed

This species is well known as a noxious weed, both in its native range and in areas where it is an introduced and often invasive species.[7][8] It is naturalized in some areas, and it is recorded as an adventive species in others.[3] It grows in many types of disturbed habitat, such as roadsides, and in cultivated fields. Widespread seed dispersal occurs when its spiny burs fall off the plant and are carried to new habitat by people, animals, machinery, or flowing water. The plant is destructive to native and crop plants because it easily outcompetes them for light.[5]

Herbicide resistant giant ragweed populations were first identified in the late 1990s.[9] Across much of the midwestern United States, populations resistant to group 2 (ALS-inhibitors) and group 9 (glyphosate) are present, though resistant to multiple herbicide modes of action has not yet been documented. There remains concern that herbicide resistance is more widespread than documented and many states like Minnesota offer free screening of giant ragweed for herbicide resistance [10] For chemical control, use of group 4 (2-4D) and group 10 (glufosinate) are effective.[9]
As an allergen

Also, interest is great in preventing the spread of this plant because its pollen is a significant human allergen.[11] It is one of the most familiar allergenic ragweeds, and residents of different regions begin to experience allergic symptoms as the plant spreads into the area.[12]
Uses

Native Americans had a number of uses for the plant as traditional medicine. The Cherokee used it as a remedy for insect stings, hives, fever, and pneumonia, and the Iroquois used it to treat diarrhea.[13]

Giant ragweed has been used successfully as a compost activator and an ingredient in sheet mulch gardens.[14]

References

Ambrosia trifida. Flora of North America.
The Plant List Ambrosia trifida L.
"Ambrosia trifida". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 22 December 2017.
Ambrosia trifida. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Ambrosia spp. Encycloweedia. California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Ambrosia trifida. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
Flora of China Vol. 20-21 Page 877 三裂叶豚草 san lie ye tun cao Ambrosia trifida Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 987. 1753.
Altervista Flora Italiana, Ambrosia trifida L. includes photos and European distribution map
Davis, Vince (10 December 2020). "Management of Herbicide-Resistant Giant Ragweed" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-11.
Sarangi, Debalin (10 December 2020). "Herbicide-resistant weed screening survey in agronomic crops". Archived from the original on 2020-10-21.
Ghosh, B., et al. (1991). Cloning the cDNA encoding the AmbtV allergen from giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) pollen. Gene 101(2), 231-38.
Makra, L., et al. (2005). The history and impacts of airborne Ambrosia (Asteraceae) pollen in Hungary. Grana 44(1), 57-64.
Ambrosia trifida. Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan, Dearborn.
Stallings, Ben (2014-06-20). "Ragweed: Curse or Blessing, the Choice is Yours". Permaculture News. Permaculture Research Institute. Retrieved 27 June 2014.