Ragweed: Fall's Public Enemy #1
Ragweed: Fall's Public Enemy #1 Written by Dr. Joel Gallagher, Allergy and Asthma Center of NC, Cone Health Medical Group Common ragweed — Ambrosia artemisiifolia — might sound divine, but anyone with allergies knows it’s anything but heavenly. There are also other species of ragweed, all of which are allergenic and belong to the genus Ambrosia . These tough plants grow across nearly every corner of the U.S., thriving especially in the Eastern and Midwestern states. Image 1. "Ragweed" by Austin Nature in the City is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. The name Ambrosia comes from the Greek word for “food of the gods” or “drink of immortality.” Why Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, chose such an exalted name remains a mystery. The species name, however, is easier to explain: ragweed’s leaves resemble those of Artemisia absinthium , better known as wormwood — the plant used to make the legendary, and once hallucinogenic, drink absinthe. Ragweed is an annua...