Putnam Park Wildflowers


Flower ID: IMG_2826.JPG-08-19-2019
Flower name (scientific): Ambrosia artemisiifolia Linnaeus PY: 1753. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) am-BRO-zhuh ar-te-miz-ee-eye-FOH-lee-uh
Flower name (common): Common Ragweed
Family name (common): Aster
Family name (scientific): Asteraceae
Scientific name origin:
     Genus: In Greek mythology, ambrosia was the food or drink of the gods, and was used for certain herbs by Dioscorides and Pliny. According to the OED, herbalists referred to only the European species A. maritima by the name Ambrosia.
    Specific epithet: The species name references the fact that the leaves supposedly resembled those of a species of the genus Artemisia.
Common name origin: Referencing the supposed ragged shape of the leaves, but the name apparently applied to a different plant called ragwort, which belongs to a different genus.
Flower description:
     Size: 0.05 to 0.1 inches (1.3 to 2.5 mm)
     Petal count: 0
     Color: green or yellow
     Other: flower arrangement, Raceme
Plant description:
     Size: 12 to 40 inches (30 to 102 cm)
     Stem hairy: Pubescent, with spreading hairs and commonly with some shorter hairs.
     Other:
Leaf description: attachment is alternate and/or opposite, type is simple and lobed.
     Size: Leaves are 2.5 to 15 cm long and 2 to 10 cm wide.
     Color: Medium green.
     Hairy: The abaxial surface is sparsely pilosulous (softly hairy) to strigose (with stiff hairs).
     Other: Shape: leaf, deltate to lanceolate or elliptic (FNA).
Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Native
Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Common
Bloom time (typical): August to September
Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Annual
Habitat: Disturbed sites, waste areas, roadsides, fields, woods, prairies, sun or part shade.
Fruit: About 3 to 5 mm in length, globose, ad tan to black in color.
Seed:
Importance to wildlife:
Similar species (if any): Ambrosia psilostachya (Western Ragweed) is similar, but has less divided leaves, mostly simple pinnate, whereas A. artemisiifolia has deeply pinnatifid leaves.
Ethnobotany: No recorded uses by Wisconsinn tribes. This plant has been used to prepare an antidiarrheal by the Dakota and Iroquois tribes, and to prepare a dermatological aid by the Delaware and Mahuna tribes. Several other tribes have used the plant for medicinal purposes (Moerman, p. 66, 1998).
Latitude: 44.796418
Longitude: -91.512650
Altitude: 254.00
Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood) Click here for distribution map
In US: (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY)
In Canada: (AB, BC, MB, NB, NF, NS, NT, ON, PE, QC, SK)
References: John L. Strother, In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico [Online]. 22+ vols. New York and Oxford. Vol. 21. http://floranorthamerica.org/Ambrosia_artemisiifolia. Accessed [10-08-2021].
Synonym(s):
Basionym: na
Homotypic Synonym(s): POWO lists one homotypic synonym for this sspecies.
Heterotypic Synonym(s): POWO lists 21 heterotypic synonyms for this species.
Autonym: na