Note from the Author: I have covered this plant before, on February 9th 2023.
With Foliage like that one could mistake this plant for a Cosmos or one of the Marigolds. 
This is a exceptional specimen of what this plant looks like when grows uninterrupted. 
Note the fuzzy stems and reddish tint to the branches. 
Here is another close up of the growing tip, all of this could be harvested for leaf greens.
Common Name: Common Ragweed
Other Common Names: Annual Ragweed, Low Ragweed.
Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Ambrosia artemisiifolia
Description & Habitat: In the Urban environment you will most often find Common Ragweed in areas with recently disturbed soil, along paths, roadsides and it will also appear in neglected garden beds and beside shrub borders. Common Ragweed is an annual plant and is native to North and Central America. Some sources say that it can get 3-6’ tall while others indicate that 2.5-3’ is the upper limit and I attribute this disparity to confusion between the individual species as Giant Ragweed (A. trifida) can certainly get that large. The best two identification features are its finely lobed leaves which almost appear to be tattered like an old thread bare rag. The stems on this plant have an alternate arrangement and are noticeably fuzzy; leaf petioles may also have a reddish coloration. The flowers of this plant are inconspicuous but are borne at stem tips. Annual Ragweed branches profusely and groups of them can form thickets that can choke out other plants that are more endemic to the region. While Common Ragweed is a native species to North America it can produce a lot of seeds which have a 50% germination rate after a year and can persist in the soil for decades. This feature alone has earned Ragweed the ‘Noxious Weed’ classification as well as ‘Invasive Plant’ in some areas. Despite its negative qualities, Common Ragweed is very useful for phytoremediation as it is very good at extracting heavy metals and toxins from the soil.
Special Toxicity Note: None.
When & What to Harvest: Based on information from multiple sources Common Ragweed appears to be completely edible, though it might be wise to stick to using younger leaves and tender shoots to avoid any possible bitterness. Most sources agree that the seeds are the best thing to harvest as they have a high amount of crude fat and protein. Given that a plant in the wild can produce anywhere from 3,500 to 62,000 seeds depending on conditions and a cultivated one may be closer to the higher number it is a viable option.
Related Plants: Giant Ragweed (A. trifida), Slimleaf Burr Ragweed (A. tenuifolia) for the roots.
Recipe: There are a number of sources out there with suggestions on how to cook Common Ragweed foliage. I did not find any full recipes by the posting deadline for this post however. What I suggest is collecting the foliage and if you intend to use it in a soup or as a potherb, boil it in at least two changes of water to moderate any bitterness and cook off any compounds that might be present. Since this plant can hyper accumulate heavy metals be mindful of where you harvest the foliage in the urban landscape.
Additional Information: (If applicable)
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ambrosia-artemisiifolia/
Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:
https://roundstoneseed.com/native-wildflowers/4-ragweed.html
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
Fresh Produce:
Figs, Celeste
Figs, Chicago Hardy
Figs, Ischia
Peppers, Banana Drop Hybrid
Summer Vegetables:
Nightshade Greens, Gbognome
Nightshade Greens, West African Njama
Okra, Baby Bubba
Pepper, Ghost
Pepper, Serrano
Pepper, Hungarian Wax Banana
Pepper, Bull’s Horn
Pepper, Mad Hatter
Pepper, Purple Bell
Potato, Adirondak (Purple skin with blue-purple flesh)
Spinach, Egyptian
Herbs:
Basil, Holy
Basil, Sweet Genovese
Chives
Yarrow, Parker’s Gold
Flowers:
Flowering Tobacco
Marigolds
Plants Coming Soon:
Egyptian Onions
Collards ‘Green Glaze’
Collards ‘Nancy Malone Purple’
Collards ‘Old Timey Blue’
Cabbage-Collards ‘Yellow’
Kale ‘Marrow Stem’
How to stay in Contact with Us!
All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.
Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville
Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:
The Videos: Look Here
>Newest videos (1): Njama-Njama
Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is August 9th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
