Ambrosia pumila

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Ambrosia pumila
San Diego Ambrosia is an endangered species (34867117876).jpg
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Ambrosia
Species:
A. pumila
Binomial name
Ambrosia pumila
Ambrosia pumila range.svg
Synonyms [2]

Franseria pumilaNutt.

Ambrosia pumila is a rare species of herbaceous perennial plant known by the common names San Diego ragweed and San Diego ambrosia. It is native to far southern California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It grows in floodplains and open grasslands in proximity to wetland areas. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Distribution and habitat

It is adapted to dry habitat, but only on upper floodplain fringes, or adjoining depressions containing vernal pools or similar structures. [7] It is a plant of open habitat and is not tolerant of heavy shade. [7]

Today it is known from 19 populations. Fourteen of them are in San Diego County, two exist in Riverside County, and there are three south of the border in Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico. [1] Most of its native habitat has been consumed by urbanization and development. It is also threatened by agriculture. This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Description

Ambrosia pumila is a hairy perennial herb not exceeding 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) in height. The leaves are gray-green and fuzzy and divided into several subdivided segments. They are up to 13 centimeters long, not counting the winged petioles.

The inflorescence is tipped with staminate (male) flower heads above several larger pistillate (female) heads. The pistillate heads each yield usually one fruit, which is a fuzzy burr only a few millimeters wide with short, soft spines. The plant rarely produces seeds. [7] The plant reproduces vegetatively, sending up new sprouts from an elongated rhizome system.

Conservation

Critical habitat was declared for the species in 2010, listing areas that should be protected for the survival of the plant. [7] Protected areas containing this plant include sections of land in the cities of Temecula and Oceanside, near Fallbrook and Lake Hodges, and within the bounds of Mission Trails Regional Park and the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. [7]

One threat to the species is the invasion of non-native weeds, which tower over the plant and shade it out. It is challenging to remove the dense stands of weeds without injuring the rare plant. [8] [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ragweed</span> Genus of plants

Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus Ambrosia in the aster family, Asteraceae. They are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, especially North America, where the origin and center of diversity of the genus are in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Several species have been introduced to the Old World and some have naturalized and have become invasive species. In Europe, this spread is expected to continue, due to ongoing climate change.

<i>Ambrosia artemisiifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Ambrosia artemisiifolia, with the common names common ragweed, annual ragweed, and low ragweed, is a species of the genus Ambrosia native to regions of the Americas.

<i>Ambrosia dumosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia dumosa, the burro-weed or white bursage, a North American species of plants in the family Asteraceae. It is a common constituent of the creosote-bush scrub community throughout the Mojave desert of California, Nevada, and Utah and the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northwestern Mexico.

<i>Artemisia californica</i> Species of plant

Artemisia californica, also known as California sagebrush, is a species of western North American shrub in the sunflower family.

<i>Ambrosia trifida</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia trifida, the giant ragweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico.

<i>Ambrosia ambrosioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia ambrosioides, also known as canyon ragweed or chicura, is a ragweed found in the deserts of northern Mexico, Arizona, and California.

<i>Ribes viburnifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Ribes viburnifolium, is an uncommon North American species in the gooseberry family. It is known by the common names Catalina currant, Santa Catalina Island currant, island gooseberry and evergreen currant.

<i>Ambrosia chamissonis</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia chamissonis is a species of ragweed known by the common names silver burr ragweed, silver beachweed and (silver) beach bur(r).

<i>Ambrosia psilostachya</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Ambrosia psilostachya is a species of ragweed known by the common names Cuman ragweed and perennial ragweed, and western ragweed.

<i>Ambrosia chenopodiifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia chenopodiifolia is a species of ragweed known by the common names San Diego bursage and San Diego bur ragweed. It is native to the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur, as well as to Orange and San Diego Counties it int US State of California. It is a member of the coastal sage scrub plant community.

<i>Ambrosia confertiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia confertiflora is a North American species of ragweed known by the common name weakleaf bur ragweed.

<i>Ambrosia eriocentra</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia eriocentra is a North American species of ragweed known by the common names woolly bursage and woollyfruit burr ragweed.

Ambrosia ilicifolia is a species of ragweed known by the common names hollyleaf burr ragweed and hollyleaf bursage.

<i>Artemisia palmeri</i> Species of tree

Artemisia palmeri is a rare species of sagebrush known by the common names San Diego sagewort and Palmer sagewort.

<i>Antigonon leptopus</i> Species of flowering plant

Antigonon leptopus is a species of perennial vine in the buckwheat family commonly known as coral vine or queen's wreath. This clambering vine is characterized by showy, usually pink flowers that can bloom throughout the year and large, heart-shaped leaves. A. leptopus is native to the Pacific and Atlantic coastal plains of Mexico, but also occurs as a roadside weed from Mexico south to Central America. It is widely introduced and invasive throughout tropical regions of the world, including in the south and eastern United States, the West Indies, South America, and the Old World tropics of Asia and Africa. This species is utilized for its edible tubers and seeds, but also for its horticultural properties as an ornamental vine in warmer parts of the world.

Ambrosia cheiranthifolia is a rare species of flowering plant known by the common names South Texas ambrosia and Rio Grande ragweed. It is native to the coast of South Texas and the Mexican states of Tamaulipas and Coahuila. It occurs in coastal prairie, grassland, and mesquite shrubland habitat. It has declined because its native habitat has been cleared for development, with remaining open savanna invaded by non-native grasses such as buffelgrass. Today there are perhaps 20 populations remaining, but some of these may have very few genetic individuals because the species is clonal, with many cloned plants attached by one rhizome. It is not certain that the plant still exists in Mexico. This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Ambrosia deltoidea is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names triangle bur ragweed, triangle bursage, and triangleleaf bursage.

<i>Ambrosia salsola</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia salsola, commonly called cheesebush, winged ragweed, burrobush, white burrobrush, and desert pearl, is a species of perennial shrub in the family Asteraceae native to deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Ambrosia cordifolia, called the Tucson bur ragweed, is a North American species of plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to northern Mexico and the State of Arizona in the United States.

<i>Ambrosia monogyra</i> Species of flowering plant

Ambrosia monogyra is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower family commonly known as the singlewhorl burrobrush, leafy burrobush, slender burrobush, and desert fragrance. Ambrosia monogyra is native to North America and is typically found in canyons, desert washes, and ravines throughout arid parts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This species has green, threadlike leaves that emit a distinctive odor when crushed, and flowers from August to November. The fruits have distinctive wings in their middle that aid in dispersion through wind and water.

References

  1. 1 2 The Nature Conservancy
  2. The Plant List Ambrosia pumila (Nutt.) A.Gray
  3. "Ambrosia pumila in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  4. "Tropicos". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  5. Shreve, F. & I. L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert 2 vols. Stanford University Press, Stanford
  6. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 USFWS. Final Rule Designating Critical Habitat for Ambrosia pumila (San Diego ambrosia). Federal Register November 30, 2010.
  8. Kelly, M., et al. (2007). Spraying over the top of Ambrosia pumila, a federally listed species, to control invasive weeds. Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Proceedings California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2007.
  9. Maher, E. and E. Stanton. (2006). Response of the endangered San Diego ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila) to removal of competition from non-native plants. Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Proceedings California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2006.

Further reading