Ambrosia dumosa
Encyclopedia
Ambrosia dumosa, the burro-weed or white bursage, 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.
Ambrosia dumosa has been studied to determine allelopathic
interactions with creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, which produces a chemical that inhibits the growth of A. dumosa. Other studies have suggested that A. dumosa roots produce a chemical that causes them to grow away from conspecific roots, preventing competition for water resources. In addition to burrow-weed, A. dumosa is also commonly called bur sage, burro weed, and burro bush.
or deeply lobed and generally clustered on short branches. The leaves are 0.5 to 4 cm long and also covered in soft gray-white hairs.
Its inflorescence is yellow with staminate and pistillate heads on a single plant (monoecious). Staminate heads have many flowers and are 3 to 5 mm in diameter with a 5 to 8 lobed involucre
. Pistillate heads are 2 flowered and lack corolla.
A. dumosa has spherical bur-like fruits ranging in color from golden to purple to brown. Along with microscopic hairs, the fruit has 12 to 35 flat and straight spines which are 5 to 9 mm in length and scattered over the surface.
A. dumosa becomes dormant during drought, losing all of its leaves to prevent water loss by transpiration; drought deciduous
. During this time it can still be recognized by the presence of longitudinal stripes on smaller stems.
Like other ragweed
s, wind blown pollen from burro-weed may be highly allergenic.
Ambrosia dumosa has been studied to determine allelopathic
Allelopathy
Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. These biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and can have beneficial or detrimental effects on the target organisms...
interactions with creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, which produces a chemical that inhibits the growth of A. dumosa. Other studies have suggested that A. dumosa roots produce a chemical that causes them to grow away from conspecific roots, preventing competition for water resources. In addition to burrow-weed, A. dumosa is also commonly called bur sage, burro weed, and burro bush.
Description
A. dumosa is a highly branched shrub 20 to 90 cm in height. The younger stems are covered with soft gray-white hairs. Approximately obovate leaves are 1 to 3 times pinnately compoundCompound
Compound may refer to:* Chemical compounds, combinations of two or more elements* Compound , a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall...
or deeply lobed and generally clustered on short branches. The leaves are 0.5 to 4 cm long and also covered in soft gray-white hairs.
Its inflorescence is yellow with staminate and pistillate heads on a single plant (monoecious). Staminate heads have many flowers and are 3 to 5 mm in diameter with a 5 to 8 lobed involucre
Involucre
Involucre may refer to* involucral bract, a bract, bract pair, or whorl of bracts surrounding a flower or inflorescence* a term sometimes misused for the cupule surrounding developing nuts in the Fagaceae...
. Pistillate heads are 2 flowered and lack corolla.
A. dumosa has spherical bur-like fruits ranging in color from golden to purple to brown. Along with microscopic hairs, the fruit has 12 to 35 flat and straight spines which are 5 to 9 mm in length and scattered over the surface.
A. dumosa becomes dormant during drought, losing all of its leaves to prevent water loss by transpiration; drought deciduous
Drought deciduous
Drought deciduous refers to plants that drop their leaves during dry season or periods of dryness, such as plants of the California Coastal sage scrub community. This may be contrasted to plants that drop their leaves during cold periods....
. During this time it can still be recognized by the presence of longitudinal stripes on smaller stems.
Like other ragweed
Ragweed
Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus Ambrosia in the sunflower family Asteraceae. Common names include bitterweeds and bloodweeds....
s, wind blown pollen from burro-weed may be highly allergenic.
Sources
- Jepson Manual Treatment: Ambrosia dumosa
- C.Michael Hogan, species editor. 2010. Ambrosia dumosa. Encyclopedia of Life
- Allen A.Schoenerr, Allen A. 1992. A Natural History of California. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06922-6