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Plant Profile  
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Common Name: Giant Ragweed

Species Name: Ambrosia trifida

Plant Type: Forb

Family Name: Asteraceae, Sunflower Family

 

 

 

 

Plant Facts  
Origin Native
Duration Annual
Distribution in the U.S. Central half of the country from Canada to Mexico
Distribution in Oklahoma Throughout the state

 

 

ID Characteristics

  • Field Identification Characteristics

    Vegetative

    • Can be a very tall, large plant (6+ feet)
    • Large palmate, lobed leaves on long stems
    • Foliage dark green
    • When plant is cut and squeezed, it will ooze a watery red sap

    Floral

    • Flowers green in vertical clusters; seed heads brown in fall and winter
  • Leaf and Stem Characteristics
    • Leaf Type: Simple
    • Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
    • Leaf Shape: 3-5 lobed
    • Stipules: Absent
  • Floral Characteristics
    • Petal Number: 8-10 (male); 1-2 (female)
    • Flower Color: Green (inconspicuous)
    • Flower Timing: July-October
    • Fruit Type: Achene

 

 

Habitat/Ecology  
Soil Type Various; best growth in moist, deep soil
Habitat Moist, disturbed sites with deep soil
Successional Stage Early

 

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