July 22, 2007
Ragweed, Ambrosia artemesifolia
Before the plant shoots up into a tall spike of small, inconspicuous green flowers in early fall, the leaves of the ragweed are delicately cut and even pretty. Although innocent looking, this plant is the main producer of the windborne pollen that makes millions of allergy sufferers miserable. Goldenrods take the blame because they bloom at the same time and are quite noticeable. But their sticky pollen is distributed only on the bodies of insects, and does not cause allergies.