How to Identify and Avoid Ragweed

Stay clear of allergens and control ragweed in your yard

Reviewed by Sonya HarrisFact checked by Sarah Scott

Ragweed is a plant many people know by name because it's a prime source of fall allergies in North America. But not everyone knows exactly what the plant looks like. And it can be difficult to identify because it's fairly nondescript. There are no colorful berries on it, such as those on bittersweet nightshade, and even when it blooms, its flowers can only dream of having the character of dandelion flowers.

Ragweed starts blooming in the late summer, usually in August, and goes through till November, with the highest pollen month being September.

There are two main types of ragweed: common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) and giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida). While common ragweed often is easily confused with some other plants, such as mugwort, it has certain characteristics that clearly define it from its close relative, giant ragweed. Notably, common ragweed isn't always short (its size depends on growing conditions, but can get up to 6 feet tall), but it can't match giant ragweed in stature. The latter can stand at a staggering 15 feet tall. In addition to this, you can learn to identify ragweed plants by their leaves and blooms.

Common Ragweed Leaves

The leaf of the common ragweed plant is made up of multiple leaflets that have a fern-like appearance. The leaflets are essentially miniature versions of the whole leaf. Such leaves are sometimes referred to as "twice compound" or "double compound." The leaflets are roughly 6 inches long and 4 inches across. The common ragweed plant itself, if left alone, can shoot up to as high as 6 feet tall.

Another identifying feature on common ragweed appears with the plant's initial leaves, those that first come out after the seed germinates. These leaves typically have some purple speckling on them. However, it's important to note that other weeds can display purple markings, so don't jump to any conclusions if you see leaves like this. For example, lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album) is another rather nondescript plant that is often found with some purple in its leaves.

Common Ragweed Blooms

The Ambrosia genus of which ragweed is a part belongs to the aster family. But common ragweed blooms are nothing like the colorful flowers of the New England aster, for example. Ragweed flowers are exceedingly inconspicuous. In fact, the casual observer might not even recognize them as flowers because they appear as small yellowish bumps.

Ragweed is monoecious, meaning a single plant contains both male and female flowers. The image below shows the flower spike of male common ragweed flowers. Using a magnifying glass, you would be able to detect the presence of five stamens on each of these male flowers. Ragweed's female flowers are even easier to overlook than its male flowers, as they are hidden in the upper leaf axils—the angles between the upper side of a leaf or stem and the supporting stem or branch.

The flowers are succeeded by fruits that are technically designated as "achene," a small, dry, single-seed fruit. Each fruit is brownish, and like the flowers, it also is inconspicuous.

Giant Ragweed Leaves

Giant ragweed bears "palmate" leaves. This means the leaf shape resembles that of the palm of a hand. There are two leaf varieties on giant ragweed: One type has five segments (more closely resembling a hand), and the other has three segments. So if you find a very tall weed with leaves like either of the ones pictured below, there's a good chance you've encountered giant ragweed.

The leaves usually have serrated edges, and their green stems are covered in tiny white hairs. Plus, the smaller leaves around the base of the plant often have hairs on their undersides. Overall, the leaves can be up to a foot long and 8 inches across.

Giant Ragweed Blooms

Giant ragweed flowers are quite similar to those of common ragweed. Many of the upper stems of the plant grow a flower spike that is cylindrical in shape and roughly 3 to 6 inches long. The plant also will often have slightly smaller flower spikes closer to its base.

Like common ragweed, the blooms appear like small bumps. Each flower is only about an eighth of an inch long. The flowers start out green but turn to a yellow-green and then a yellow-brown color as they mature.

How to Control Ragweed

One of the best ways to keep ragweed from taking over your yard is to fertilize and mow regularly and keep the flower beds maintained and clear of weeds. But if it is already in your yard, then how do you control ragweed? The natural, organic way is to go out and pull any ragweed plants by hand that you find lurking in your yard. This method should be done before the ragweed blooms, or else you're dealing with new seeds scattering around in your yard and garden beds. You can also elect to use a weed-killer herbicide, which should be applied during the mid-spring to early summertime while the plants are still immature.