There's something in the air, and it might be making you sniffle and sneeze. Plenty of people suffer from seasonal allergies, and in late summer there is usually one plant to blame: ragweed.
Ragweed is a common cause of seasonal allergies in late summer because that is when the plants begin to release their pollen into the air. About 15% of Americans are allergic to ragweed pollen, so this time of year can be an especially miserable because the allergy can make you feel pretty crummy.
Symptoms of a ragweed allergy can be similar to those of a common cold. If you are allergic to it, you might have itchy and puffy eyes; an itchy nose and throat; a stuffy or runny nose; sneezing; and mucous in the throat caused by postnasal drip.
While ragweed is the source of misery for many people, an innocent plant — goldenrod — is often wrongly blamed. Both ragweed and goldenrod belong to the Asteraceae family, and 20 species of ragweed and more than 75 species of goldenrod are native to the United States.
The blame goldenrod gets for seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever, at this time of year is partly because both bloom at the same time in late summer. Goldenrod and ragweed also both frequently grow in open fields and roadside ditches, but that's about where the similarities end.
Although both plants typically bloom from late July into September, the ragweed species common in Illinois — giant ragweed and common ragweed — produce green flowers. Goldenrod typically has yellow flowers.
The two plants are also pollinated differently. Ragweed does not have nectar in its flowers. It relies on wind for pollination. This is what makes it so tough on people who are allergic to it. Wind can carry ragweed pollen miles away from its plant of origin. Plus one ragweed plant can produce more than 1 billion grains of pollen. It's enough to make you sneeze just thinking about it.
Goldenrod, on the other hand, is pollinated by insects, which visit for its nectar. Pollen from goldenrod plants is heavier and stickier than that of ragweed. It cannot be carried by the wind. Instead, insects like bees, beetles, butterflies and wasps visit the plants and aid in pollination.
About 75% of Americans who are allergic to plants that produce pollen are allergic to ragweed. For these hay fever sufferers, being able to identify ragweed is important so they can remove it from their yards before it begins releasing its pollen.
Because ragweed does not produce colorful, showy flowers, it's easiest to identify by its stems and leaves. The plants typically produce rough and hairy branching stems that are purplish in color. The leaves are smooth and divided into lobed portions.
The best way to control ragweed plants is to either mow or remove them before the plants have bloomed. The plants are shallowly rooted and are not difficult to remove by hand.
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