A Conversation About ragweed and goldenrod

Ah, the wonder of the summer/fall allergies. The old timers used to call it “rose fever” or “hay fever.” The classic sneezing, sniffling headachey feelings from old fashioned allergies. Too much pollen resulting in “sinus face” and sunglasses to cut the glare of the sun. In this wonderfully advanced age we can consult with allergists to the extent our insurance allows and be diagnosed with specific allergies. But most of us just find an over the counter remedy to combat the symptoms because we know the malady is seasonal and will go away fairly soon.

Today I want to talk about one of the biggest injustices in the plant world. Since I can’t remember when, goldenrod has taken the blame for the allergy suffering. While I am no fan of goldenrod as a botanical citizen, it’s getting a bum rap. More and more of us are recognizing the true culprit, ragweed. It ranks high on my list of sneaky villains. Let’s look at the biography of each plant.                                                                 Goldenrod is a perennial whose formal name is solidago. It is native to North America and there are about 150 species. Most have distinctive golden spikes of flowers in the Fall. They are a popular choice for perennial and native gardens and meadows and fields are full of them. Obviously they produce massive numbers of flowers… each spike is composed of hundreds of individual tiny flowers. Which produce lots and lots of seeds, which spread over a large area, aided by the birds.  BUT their pollen is not a great allergen. Goldenrod pollen is not distributed on the wind. It is distributed by bees and other insects, including Monarch butterflies, BTW. It is possible to be allergic to goldenrod pollen, but actual physical contact is required.

I have to admit I respect and admire Ragweed. It is sneaky and subtle, and its formal name is just as sneaky. Scientists know it as Ambrosia. Talk about false advertising. When something is compared to the food of the gods in its name, don’t you automatically think it’s probably something yummy?   There are about fifteen main varieties of this native annual, differing mostly in size. The cleverness of this plant lies in the fact that it doesn’t make flowers that we would recognize as flowers. They are green and look more like seed pods than flowers. Nobody has ever said of a ragweed plant, “look at the pretty flowers.” Their success lies in the fact that they are so green and boring. The leaves are kind of lacy and harmless looking. They keep the best part of their success quiet. Their pollen is windborne and one giant ragweed plant is said to easily produce up to a billion pollen grains. That’s a thousand million. Per plant. And that’s not all…they start flowering when they’re just babies.  With that kind of fertility, seed production is a pretty sure thing, continuing the cycle of torture.  Internet rumor has it that up to one in five of us is allergic to ragweed. I prefer to call my allergy “rhinitis.” So much more elegant. Try it; it may make you feel better. And if you like, you can learn more about both of these fascinating plant families by listening to “Nature Calls, Conversations from the Hudson Valley”, episode 123. Here’s a link. https://ccecolumbiagreene.org/gardening/nature-calls-conversations-from-the-hudson-valley/episode-123-weeds-of-the-northeast.  The guidebook discussed in the episode is one of the best I’ve ever seen.