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Ambrosia deltoidea-Triangle Leaf
Bur Sage
This low desert dweller is native to southern Arizona and
south into Sonora and Baja California, Mexico and is probably
the most common understory plant in the lower deserts.
Commonly found on flats and hillside at elevations of
1000 – 3000 feet, this plant often functions as a nurse plant
to the seedlings of many native plants and is essential in most
revegation efforts.
The triangleleaf bur-sage is typically evergreen,
creating a small rounded shrub to 1 ½ feet tall by 2 feet wide.
The gray-green leaves are 1” long by ½” wide and
roughly triangular in shape.
The leaf margins are occasionally smooth but more
commonly toothed. The flowers are insignificant, but are
followed by small burs, which are covered with hooked spines
that can be somewhat of a nuisance.
A truly desert adapted
plant, bur-sage is capable of surviving with minimal irrigation,
although it will look better if provided periodic irrigation
during the summer months. In most cultivated landscapes, this
plant tends to be short-lived although it will reseed. As it is
a cousin to the common ragweed, this plant may cause allergic
reactions to some people.
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