ILLINOIS PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK
 
 ILPIN INFORMATION ON    Ambrosia trifida
 
 
 CLASS:    DICOTYLEDENAE
 ORDER:    ASTERALES
 FAMILY:   ASTERACEAE
 SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Ambrosia trifida
 AUTHORITY:  L.
 
 COMMON NAMES:
    BUFFALO WEED
    GIANT RAGWEED
    HORSEWEED
 
 SYNONOMY:   None
 
 PLANTS CODE: AMTR
 
 NATURAL COMMUNITIES:
     FOREST
       UPLAND FOREST
         DRY
         DRY-MESIC
         MESIC
       FLOODPLAIN FOREST
         MESIC
       THICKETS
     WETLAND
       BORDER OF LAKE
     PRIMARY
       GLADE
         LIMESTONE
     CULTURAL
       AGRICULTURAL FIELD
       SUCCESSIONAL FIELD
         ABANDONED CROPLAND
           EARLY
       DEVELOPED LAND
 
 
 SAF FOREST COVER TYPE:
     CENTRAL
           River Birch - Sycamore
           Silver Maple - American Elm
 
 NATURAL DIVISION:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 COUNTIES:
   ADAMS           ALEXANDER       BOND            BOONE           BROWN
   BUREAU          CALHOUN         CARROLL         CASS            CHAMPAIGN
   CHRISTIAN       CLARK           CLAY            CLINTON         COLES
   COOK            CRAWFORD        CUMBERLAND      DEKALB          DEWITT
   DOUGLAS         DUPAGE          EDGAR           EDWARDS         EFFINGHAM
   FAYETTE         FORD            FRANKLIN        FULTON          GALLATIN
   GREENE          GRUNDY          HAMILTON        HANCOCK         HARDIN
   HENDERSON       HENRY           IROQUOIS        JACKSON         JASPER
   JEFFERSON       JERSEY          JO DAVIESS      JOHNSON         KANE
   KANKAKEE        KENDALL         KNOX            LAKE            LASALLE
   LAWRENCE        LEE             LIVINGSTON      LOGAN           MCDONOUGH
   MCHENRY         MCLEAN          MACON           MACOUPIN        MADISON
   MARION          MARSHALL        MASON           MASSAC          MENARD
   MERCER          MONROE          MONTGOMERY      MORGAN          MOULTRIE
   OGLE            PEORIA          PERRY           PIATT           PIKE
   POPE            PULASKI         PUTNAM          RANDOLPH        RICHLAND
   ROCK ISLAND     ST. CLAIR       SALINE          SANGAMON        SCHUYLER
   SCOTT           SHELBY          STARK           STEPHENSON      TAZEWELL
   UNION           VERMILION       WABASH          WARREN          WASHINGTON
   WAYNE           WHITE           WHITESIDE       WILL            WILLIAMSON
   WINNEBAGO       WOODFORD
 
 GROWTH FORM:  Dicot-herb
 
 TAXONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
    LEAF ARRANGEMENT:     Opposite
    LEAF TYPE:   Simple
    LEAF MARGIN:   Serrate   Lobed  (palmately)
    LEAF VENATION:  Pinnate
    LEAF SHAPE:     Ovate
    INFLORESCENCE:   Spike  Head
    FLOWER MEROUS:  5
    FLOWER STRUCTURE:   Incomplete  (no sepals)
    FLOWER COLOR:   Yellow   Green
    FLOWER PLACEMENT:  Epigynous
    FRUIT:   Achene
 
 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC COMMENTS:
     Sterile heads, short pedunculate, leaves palmately 3 to 5 lobed or undivided.
     Typical variety has petioles of at least upper leaves wing-margined, larger
     fruits, and ribs of fruit ending in short spines.
 
 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
     ORIGIN:   Native
 
 POPULATION DYNAMICS:
     STATE STATUS: Not listed
     FEDERAL STATUS: Not listed
     COMMONNESS:  Common
     ENDEMIC:   NOT-ENDEMIC
 
 BIOLOGIC:
     HABIT:   Forb
     LIFE CYCLE:   Annual
     REPRODUCTION:   Sexual
     FLOWERING PERIOD:
         MONTH BEGINNING-      7         MONTH END-     10
     TROPHIC STATUS:  Autotrophic
     C02 FIXATION:  C3
     SEX:      Unisexual   -monoecious
 
 BIOLOGIC COMMENTS:
     Often forms extensive acres of thousands of plants.
 
 ECODISTRIBUTION COMMENTS:
     Waste places, rich alluvial soils in thickets, sloughs, roadsides, and
     along railroads. Likes moister sites than A. artemesiifolia.
 
 ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS:   No data entered
 
 FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:
     MAJOR POLLINATION AGENT:   Wind
 
 HUMAN RELATIONSHIP DATA:
     ALLERGENIC:  Yes
     EDIBLE:  Yes
 
     WILD HERBS:   Medicinal
 
 HUMAN FACTOR COMMENTS:
     This plant is probably one of the commonest causes of hayfever. As a
     hayfever source, it far outnumbers A. artemestiifolia; plant was used
     as an astringent in chronic catarrhal infections. Early bluff-dwellers
     of Ozarks used cultivated strains with large achenes for food.
 
 WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK INFORMATION:
     FOOD VALUE:
         DEER VALUE:   -   Leaves
         UPLAND GAME VALUE:  Unknown
         WATERFOWL VALUE:  Unknown
         SMALL NON-GAME BIRD VALUE:  Unknown
         SMALL MAMMAL VALUE:  Unknown
         AQUATIC MAMMAL VALUE:  Unknown
         FISH VALUE:  Unknown
     COVER VALUE:  No data entered
 
 LIVESTOCK PALATABILITY DATA:
     CATTLE FORAGE: No data    SHEEP FORAGE:  No data    HORSE FORAGE:  No data
     GOAT FORAGE:   No data    ENERGY VALUE:  Low        PROTEIN VALUE: Low
     POISONOUS (LIVESTOCK):   No
 
 REVEGETATION PLANTINGS:
     WEEDINESS:   Economic
 
 
 MANAGEMENT COMMENTS:
     Herbicides and brush poisons, pulling.
 
 
 REFERENCES:
Mohlenbrock, R. H., ed.  1975.  Guide to the vascular flora of Illinois.
     Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.  494 pp.
Steyermark, J. A.  1963.  Flora of Missouri.  Iowa State University Press, Ames.
     1725 pp.
Swink, F., and G. S. Wilhelm.  1979.  Plants of the Chicago region.  Third ed.
     The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois.  922 pp.
Agricultural Experiment Station.  1981.  Weeds of the North Central States.
     Bulletin 772.  College of Agriculture, University of Illinois at Urbana-
     Champaign, Urbana.  303 pp.
Gleason, H. A.  1952.  The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the
     northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.  3 vols.  The New York
     Botanical Garden, New York.
Wodehouse, R. P.  1971.  Hayfever plants.  Hafner Publishing Company, New
     York.  280 pp.
 
 END OF DATA FOR SPECIES  Ambrosia trifida
 
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 ILPIN was developed by Louis Iverson*, with data compiled by David Ketzner and Jeanne Karnes
 Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820
     *currently employed by USDA Forest Service, 359 Main Rd., Delaware, OH 43015