Code
AMBRAGrowth form
broadleaf
Biological cycle
annual
Habitat
terrestrial
synonym | Ambrosia senegalensis DC. |
synonym | Ambrosia umbellata Moench |
English |
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French |
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Italian |
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Spanish; Castilian |
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Global description
Ambrosia maritima is a robust annual herb, erect and ramulous, 30 cm to 1 m tall, and pubescent. The leaves are alternate, stalked, with oval-shaped lamina, 2-3 pinnatisect of 3 to 8 cm by 1.5 to 6 cm, finely pubescent to the upper face. Inflorescences are in spikes or terminals racemes formed by small capitulums of two types: male sessile capitulums or slightly stalked and bending, about 3 mm in diameter with an obconical-campanulate involucre; female sessile capitulums, solitary or in clusters on the axils of upper leaves. Involucre of female capitulums have some short , thick spikes on the top, extended like a beak around the style and tightly wrapping the smooth obovoid achene of about 4 mm by 2 mm.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Madagascar: Ambrosia maritima is an early species that can germinate a few days after the preparation of moist soil. Flowering-fruiting from July to September, during fruiting period and harvesting of flood recession crops.
Morocco: Ambrosia maritima flowers from June to November.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Ambrosia maritima is an annual species, it is propagated by seed produced in large quantities. The seeds are dispersed by wind, water, animals and tillage equipment.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Madagascar: Ambrosia maritima grows on fertile alluvial soils of deltas and coastal plains that are flooded during the rainy season, in areas with hot sub-humid climate (altitude less than 500 m). It is a weed of flood-recession cultures, along roadsides and canals, fallow land and land more or less flooded in the rainy season, shores of water bodies. It prefers sunny land in the flood recession crop systems, semi-intensive, the plains of west and north-west of Madagascar.
Mauritius: Absent
Morocco: Ambrosia maritima is a rare, ruderal species found in sandy environments and coastal wet meadows. It is also a weed of crops.
Reunion: Absent
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Origin
Ambrosia maritima is native to Mediterranean Africa.
Worldwide distribution
Southern Europe, North and West Africa, Southern Africa, Middle East, Madagascar.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local harmfulness
Madagascar: Ambrosia maritima is a weed which is rather common and often abundant in flood-recession cultures of alluvial plains and deltaic in West and North-west of Madagascar. It generally grows in high density and the weeding of flood-recession crops is complicated by the poor quality of soil preparation, which dries quickly after plowing.
Mauritius : Absent
Reunion : Absent
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Medicinal: Ambrosia maritima has antimicrobial activity and antispasmodic and anti-oxidant and hepato protective properties of the extracts (sesquiterpene lactones).
The capitulums are used as antispasmodic, diuretic and for the treatment of intestinal schistosomiasis and as a molluscicide (pest control vectors).
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local management
Madagascar: Control of Ambrosia maritima by manual weeding roughly delayed in flood-recession areas North West of Madagascar (Cotton Plant, cowpea, maize).
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Ambrosia%2520maritima
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Asterales |
Family | Asteraceae |
Genus | Ambrosia |
Species | Ambrosia maritima L. |