Flora of North America species comparison

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Dysphania ambrosioides

epazote, Mexican-tea, worm-seed
Habit Plants annual.
Stems

erect to ascending, much-branched, 3–10(–15) dm, ± glandular-pubescent.
Leaves

aromatic, distal leaves sessile;

petiole to 18 mm;

blade ovate to oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, proximal ones mostly lanceolate, 2–8(–12) × 0.5–4(–5.5) cm, base cuneate, margins entire, dentate, or laciniate, apex obtuse to attenuate, copiously gland-dotted (rarely glabrous).
Inflorescences

lateral spikes, 3–7 cm;

glomerules globose, 1.5–2.3 mm diam.;

bracts leaflike, lanceolate, oblanceolate, spatulate, or linear, 0.3–2.5 cm, apex obtuse, acute, or attenuate.
Flowers

perianth segments 4–5, connate for ca. 1/2 their length, distinct portion ovate, rounded abaxially, 0.7–1 mm, apex obtuse, glandular-pubescent, covering seed at maturity;

stamens 4–5;

stigmas 3.
Achenes

ovoid;

pericarp nonadherent, rugose to smooth.
Seeds

horizontal or vertical, reddish brown, ovoid, 0.6–1 × 0.4–0.5 mm;

seed coat rugose to smooth.

Dysphania ambrosioides
Phenology Fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat River bottoms, dry lake beds, flower beds, waste areas
Elevation 0-700 m (0-2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; ON; QC; native to North America and South America; widely naturalized throughout the tropics and warm-temperate regions of the world
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Southern populations of Dysphania ambrosioides are native while those populations in the northern part of the flora area are introduced.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 270.
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Dysphania > sect. Adenois
Sibling taxa
D. anthelmintica, D. aristata, D. botrys, D. carinata, D. chilensis, D. cristata, D. graveolens, D. multifida, D. pumilio
Synonyms Chenopodium ambrosioides, Chenopodium ambrosioides var. suffruticosum, Teloxys ambrosioides
Name authority (Linnaeus) Mosyakin & Clemants: Ukrayins’k. Bot. Zhurn., n. s. 59: 382. (2002)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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