Intro: Erect, often bushy, tap-rooted annual of roadsides, gardens, disturbed soils and thin soils on rock outcrops.

Stems: Stems simple to branched, sometimes reddish, smooth to rough-hairy.

Leaves: Leaves opposite below and alternate above, oval to elliptic in outline, 1-4 in. long, deeply 2 times divided into narrow, blunt-tipped lobes; gland-dotted and with a pungent odor when crushed, smooth.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Male (staminate) flowers in small, green, nodding, cup-shaped heads arranged in spikes (1-4 in. long) at tips of branches; female (pistillate) flowers tiny, in round, green clusters in upper leaf axils, each cluster with 1-3 flowers surrounded by tiny bracts. All flowers lack petals and sepals.

Fruits:

Comments: Male flowers release large amounts of allergy-provoking pollen.

Height: 1-6 ft.

plant sale text:

bloom table text:

description: Erect, often bushy, tap-rooted annual of roadsides, gardens, disturbed soils and thin soils on rock outcrops.

stems: Stems simple to branched, sometimes reddish, smooth to rough-hairy.

leaves: Leaves opposite below and alternate above, oval to elliptic in outline, 1-4 in. long, deeply 2 times divided into narrow, blunt-tipped lobes; gland-dotted and with a pungent odor when crushed, smooth.

inflorescence:

flowers: Male (staminate) flowers in small, green, nodding, cup-shaped heads arranged in spikes (1-4 in. long) at tips of branches; female (pistillate) flowers tiny, in round, green clusters in upper leaf axils, each cluster with 1-3 flowers surrounded by tiny bracts. All flowers lack petals and sepals.

fruits:

comments: Male flowers release large amounts of allergy-provoking pollen.

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: North America