Plant Profile: Ambrosia mexicana

Names

Feather Geranium, Gooseleaf, Jerusalem Oak, Jerusalem Oak Gooseleaf

  • Photo of Ambrosia mexicana (Ambrosia mexicanas)

Phonetic Spelling:am-BRO-zhuh meks-sih-KAY-nuh

Genus:Ambrosia

Species:mexicana

Family:Chenopodiaceae

Ambrosia mexicana, commonly known as Jerusalem Oak Gooseleaf, is an annual flowering herb that originates from the Mediterranean area. It belongs to the Chenopodium genus, which encompasses roughly 150 species of herbaceous plants, both perennial and annual. This plant thrives in moderately moist, fertile soils and prefers sunny locations, although it is often regarded as a weed.

**Diseases, Pests, and Other Plant Issues:**

This plant poses a toxicity risk to cats, dogs, and horses.

Ambrosia mexicana Feature Summary

Ambrosia mexicana Image Gallery

Tags

#fragrant
#weedy
#toxic
#poisonous to dogs
#poisonous to cats
#poisonous to livestock

Similar Plants

Ambrosia mexicana is often confused with:

Ambrosia mexicana Feature Summary

Attributes
This fragrant herb can be used as a base for dried flower wreaths.
Mediterranean region
Flowers
Small, nettle-like flowers.
Poisonous to Humans
Toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Can be toxic to humans if eaten in quantity.
Sesquiterpene lactones
Leaves
Flowers
Whole Plant Traits
Erect
Mounding
Clumping
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Good Drainage
Moist
High Organic Matter
Landscape
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses

Ambrosia mexicana Attributes

Ambrosia mexicana: Uses (Ethnobotany)

This fragrant herb can be used as a base for dried flower wreaths.

Ambrosia mexicana: Country Or Region Of Origin

Mediterranean region

Ambrosia mexicana: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Ambrosia mexicana: Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Ambrosia mexicana Flowers

Ambrosia mexicana: Flower Description

Small, nettle-like flowers.

Ambrosia mexicana: Flower Color

filter_vintage
Green

Ambrosia mexicana: Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Ambrosia mexicana Poisonous to Humans

Ambrosia mexicana: Poison Symptoms

Toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Can be toxic to humans if eaten in quantity.

Ambrosia mexicana: Poison Toxic Principle

Sesquiterpene lactones

Ambrosia mexicana: Poison Severity

High
Low
Medium

Ambrosia mexicana: Causes Contact Dermatitis

No
Yes

Ambrosia mexicana: Poison Part

Bark
Flowers
Fruits
Leaves
Roots
Sap/Juice
Seeds
Stems

Ambrosia mexicana Whole Plant Traits

Ambrosia mexicana: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Ambrosia mexicana: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Ambrosia mexicana: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Ambrosia mexicana: Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Ambrosia mexicana Cultural Conditions

Ambrosia mexicana: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Ambrosia mexicana: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Ambrosia mexicana: Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Ambrosia mexicana Leaves

Ambrosia mexicana: Leaf Color

spa
Green

Ambrosia mexicana: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Ambrosia mexicana: Leaf Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy

Ambrosia mexicana Stem

Ambrosia mexicana: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Ambrosia mexicana Landscape

Ambrosia mexicana: Problems

Allelopathic
Contact Dermatitis
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Invasive Species
Malodorous
Messy
Poisonous to Humans
Problem for Cats
Problem for Children
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Short-lived
Spines/Thorns
Weak Wood
Weedy