# Big Bursage

*Ambrosia ambrosioides*

Despite being a ragweed, its leaves have a pleasant, spicy aroma when crushed, which is why it was named after 'ambrosia', the food of the gods.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Ambrosia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** desert
- **Habitat:** Desert washes, canyons, and sandy slopes below 3,500 feet elevation.
- **Diet:** Photosynthetic (requires sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).
- **Range:** Arizona, California, Baja California, Sonora
- **Size:** 1 to 2 meters in height and width.
- **Lifespan:** 15-25 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat destruction due to urban sprawl and competition from invasive buffelgrass.
- **Safe to approach?:** Generally harmless to touch, but a significant source of wind-borne allergenic pollen. If you suffer from hay fever, maintain distance during the spring flowering season. The hooked burs can cling tightly to clothing and animal fur; remove them by hand to prevent spreading seeds to non-native areas.

## About

Ambrosia ambrosioides , also known as canyon ragweed or chicura is a ragweed found in the deserts of northern Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora), Arizona, and California (Ventura + San Diego Counties).

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/aafcd416-ab62-46fe-88a7-bf5686aa87b7
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/75405
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia ambrosioides
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/170437759/medium.jpeg (Bill Levine, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.