We recently had renters move out that had ducks, geese, chickens and more that left the ground completely bare. So much dirt had been washed away with each storm we thought the ground would not grow anything but this plant popped up and covered the land. It is not native to the area (E TN) that we can see so we think it may be seed deposited from the ducks & geese feces. It has attracted some small and beautiful birds and smells fresh, like parsley. We like it, especially to prevent further erosion. We hope we can keep it and possibly find a use for it. Description: Tall 8 foot stalks with green leaves that are dissected like snowflake fingers to form the leaf shape. See pictures attached. The leaves smell green and fresh like parsley.
A vigorous stand of ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia? (Thought maybe mugwort because of the aroma. So far as I know ragweed has none, other than Eau d'Achoo.) Any flowers on these? Welcome to the Forum!
Thanks, togata57! Ragweed!!! Argh. I was hoping we were raising bird seed. Aren't people highly allergic to this? Well, at least it will hold the soil in place until we can get some grass seeded. :)
There are no flowers (yet). Should we expect them? The renters moved out in April so these are 3 month old plants. How tall will they get?
SOME people are. And you have said that birds have been attracted by the plants, so that is good. (Give us photos of the birds too!) Well, wait till this ID is confirmed or shot down by other Forum members to be sure. If this IS r-w, height-wise you have already reached state-fair-ribbon-winning proportions! ---One reason I hesitated on the ID: wow, can r-w GETthat tall?? Some healthy growth there! Of course, given the right conditions (previous fertilization by barnyard fowl--or 'foul', maybe!) any plant can achieve great things. True, ragweed is considered an invasive...but: it is an important food for many butterfly larvae and its seeds are eaten by birds in the wintertime. So...? Good or bad? To a hungry bird your ragweed stand will look pretty good!
Ambrosia artemisiifolia, they will be blooming shortly (if they aren't already) the flowers are miniscule. http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Tennessee&statefips=47&symbol=AMAR2
Thank you for the map, Saltcedar. We are in Jefferson County, which is showing white, but near the border of Sevier which is showing green. Is there someone I should notify in charge of the map to color Jefferson County green? Thank you for the encouragement, togata57!
This is the procedure however I doubt you'll want to go to this much trouble. http://plants.usda.gov/du/DistributionUpdate.html
