PlantFiles: Common Ragweed, Annual Ragweed, Annual Bur-Sage
Ambrosia artemisiifolia

Approximately one person in ten is allergic to the pollen of this plant. If that is simply inhaled, then, unless you have severe asthma, the result is merely unpleasant. But if you get a whack of pollen in the eyes it is catastrophic - swollen eyelids, eyes continually watering for hours and the sensation of having a dozen needles in the eye, when you blink.
I suffered for six hours the other evening and I NEVER want to do that ever again!

Contrary to melody, about any native plant can beat out ragweed, just need the soil to be undisturbed.

When people often think of ragweeds they think it is the Giant Ragweed but actually it is not that common - may persists in certain locations but are very common only when widespread distrubation of land occurs and then only last a few years until grasses choke it out. Common Ragweed is often just under our noses without us noticing it - it is very common - when you drive on freeways, etc - you will notice a zone- when the grass end, there are lighter green very small plants growing in gravels and exposed soils - those are common ragweed - and they exist in such vast numbers it is hard to believe but they are also resistant to salts and higher level of pollution from car exhausts. May exist in low levels in gardens - in exposured soils or thin vegetation. Also found in weedy grass areas like old industrial and commerical locations - one of the first plant to get established in what little soil accumulate in the cracks of asphalts and concrete. I have seen it in downtown cities, popping out of cracks. In certain locations it is also very common in the first few inches of the lawn that edge the sidewalk or the street - only grow a few inches tall while in garden form it grows bigger to about roughly 1 foot.

Common Ragweed, Annual Ragweed, Annual Bur-Sage Ambrosia artemisiifolia is native to Texas and other States.

I can't believe there is actually a positive comment on this horrible weed. I just yanked a few out of my field to keep them from going to seed and got choked up from the weed itself, it hasn't even bloomed yet.

A very useful plant- containing any number of interesting compounds! Many people enjoy the smell of this plant (before flowering), before they learn what it is... Very delicate yellow flowers in the fall- wind pollinated, of course. The color of this plant may vary slightly. Much like its cousin A. psilostachya- but without the hastle of trying to control extremely vigorous growth... one firm yank and it is gone. This plant is grazed by cattle. Plants in my neck of the woods seldom reach higher than 3 feet.

Wish we could get rid of this common culprit.

One of the most common roadside weeds in North America. It thrives in cultivated land as well as rocky parking lots.

Common Ragweed is said to be the main culprit of allergy/ hay fever sufferers symptoms because of the large amounts of pollen it puts into the air each Summer and Fall.

Although wildlife makes use of the seeds for food, it is a very invasive and troublesome weed.

Although the seeds of this weed attract birds, it is considered to be a noxious weed and many US localities forbid its growth because of its allergy-causing pollen.

Ragweed pollen may bother people with hay fever allergies and asthma. It gets it's name from the raggedy shape of the leaves.