Portfolio: Medicinal Plants of the Sicangu Lakota
Investigation of Ambrosia artemisiifolia Ragweed
Ambrosia artemisiifolia. © 2008 1sagebrush12
Lakota names: caŋhlόgaŋ waśtémna means "sweet-smelling weed", caŋhlógaŋ oŋzipakiŋte means "weed to wipe the rear", poipiỵe means " to doctor swellings with." A tea from the leaves is applied to swellings.
Listen to Lakota Plant Names: caŋhlόgaŋ waśtémna, c. oŋzipakiŋte, poipiỵe
Scientific name: Ambrosia artemisiifolia
Common name: ragweed
Description: Small ragweed is in 46 states in the United States. It is most common in the Eastern states and the Midwest. The plant produces up to 1 billion pollen grains in a year. It usually grows in rural areas. People get allergies from ragweed. When people are allergic to ragweed pollen and they inhale its pollen from the air, the common hay fever symptoms develop. Seventeen species of ragweed grow in North America. 75 percent of Americans who have allergies are allergic to ragweed. Once a person is allergic to pollen they tend to develop other pollen allergies. To know if you are allergic to ragweed you have to have a physical exam and a skin sensitivity test.
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Ambrosia artemisiifolia. © Steve Dewey, Utah State University.
Flowering: Flowers & Fruit: “Flower heads not showy, individually small, 2-5mm (1/12-1/5in.) across, green and inconspicuous but very numerous and forming distinctive inflorescences; individual florets either male or female, but never both; all flowers within one flower head either only male or female, but both male flower heads and female flower heads usually present on the same plant; heads of male (pollen-producing) flowers in raceme-like elongated clusters at ends of branches, each male head hanging downwards on a short stalk like a tiny inverted umbrella; female (seed-producing) flower heads in axils of short, narrow, green bracts near the base of each long cluster of male flower heads, each female head with only a single flower and producing a single, hard, somewhat triangular or diamond-shaped seed with several, short, sharp spines around the upper shoulder, the whole seed 3-5mm (1/8-1/5in.) long. Flowers from August to October.”
Similar Species: The Goldenrod, Solidago, is a similar species to ragweed.
Black hills distribution: This plant is found all over the state of South Dakota.
Habitat: It is in cultivated land throughout southern Ontario. It is also in gardens, flower borders, poorly kept lawns, edges of sidewalks, roadsides, fence lines, and waste places.
Secondary Plant Compound: Thiarubrine A.
Information on the Internet
State Education Standards
- South Dakota Education Standards
- 9-12.L.1.1. Students are able to relate cellular functions and processes to specialized structures within cells.
- 9-12.L.1.2. Students are able to classify organisms using characteristics and evolutionary relationships of major taxa.
- 9-12.S.1.1. Students are able to explain ethical roles and responsibilities of scientists and scientific research.
- 9-12.S.1.2. Students are able to evaluate and describe the impact of scientific discoveries on historical events and social, economic, and ethical issues.
- 9-12.N.1.1. Students are able to evaluate a scientific discovery to determine and describe how societal, cultural, and personal beliefs influence scientific investigations and interpretations.
- 9-12.N.2.1. Students are able to apply science process skills to design and conduct student investigations. (Synthesis)
- 9-12.N.2.2. Students are able to practice safe and effective laboratory techniques.
National Education Standards
- National Education Standards
CONTENT STANDARD A: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop
- Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
- Understandings about scientific inquiry
CONTENT STANDARD B: As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop an understanding of
- Structure of atoms
- Structure and properties of matter
- Chemical reactions
- Motions and forces
- Conservation of energy and increase in disorder
- Interactions of energy and matter
CONTENT STANDARD C: As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of
- The cell
- Molecular basis of heredity
- Biological evolution
- Interdependence of organisms
- Matter, energy, and organization in living systems
- Behavior of organisms
CONTENT STANDARD E: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop
- Abilities of technological design
- Understandings about science and technology
CONTENT STANDARD F: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of
- Personal and community health
- Population growth
- Natural resources
- Environmental quality
- Natural and human-induced hazards
- Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges
CONTENT STANDARD G: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of
- Science as a human endeavor
- Nature of scientific knowledge
- Historical perspectives
About This Page
Classroom Project: Medicinal Plants of the Lakota Sioux
Lead-Deadwood High School
Lead, South Dakota United States
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to , Lead-Deadwood High School
Page copyright © 2008 1sagebrush12
Treehouses are authored by students, teachers, science enthusiasts, or professional scientists. Anyone can sign up as a treehouse contributor and share their knowledge and enthusiasm about organisms. Treehouse contributions are checked for general accuracy and quality by teachers and ToL editors, but they are not usually reviewed by expert scientists. If you spot an error, please get in touch with the author or the teacher. For more information about quality control of Tree of Life content, see Status of Tree of Life Pages.
About This Portfolio
I would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their help with this project:
- Rev. Raymond Bucko S.J., Creighton University Department of Sociology and Anthropology
- My student mentor Devan, Kim Loeffen, Tony Beisiot, Wade Mackey, and Sharon Burns for their technical help.
- F.J. Doody, Buechel Memorial Museum, St. Francis, S.D.
- Ben Black Bear Jr. for his audio of Lakota names, St. Francis, S.D. (Author of the Introduction of Dilwyn Rogers' Book of Father Buechel's research.)
- Katja Schulz Managing Editor ToL
- And mostly, my students for their perserverence!
Lead-Deadwood High School
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Robin Cochran-Dirksen at
Page copyright © 2008 Robin Cochran-Dirksen