(close-up of the female flowers) The thin white "V" shaped pistils above the small leaves are the tiny "targets" that must be hit by pollen grains from another plant. No wonder the male flowers have to put out so much pollen!
This plant has attractive, finely dissected fern-like leaves, but don't let it fool you into leaving it in your garden! Even though it is smaller than the Great Ragweed, it is just as capable of making you sneeze if you suffer from allergies. Linnaeus, the "Father of Scientific Nomenclature," must have had quite an interesting sense of humor; he gave the ragweeds the genus name, "Ambrosia," the food of the Greek gods! Annual Where seen: Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warrior's Path SP, Oak Ridge, widespread
Aster Family This is the smallest of the 3 Ragweed species in our area. It is just as potent with pollen though. If you look closely, you'll see pollen on the leaves! Annual Where seen: Norris Dam SP
