Virginia Tech Dendrology

San Diego bursage Asteraceae Ambrosia chenopodiifolia (Benth.) Payne symbol: AMCH5
Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen, ovate, 1 to 1 1/2 inches, coarse serrate or toothed, nearly lobed, green above and covered in white pubescence, pale below, drought deciduous.
Flower: Dull yellow-green, in small clusters borne on a spike, March to June.
Fruit: A spiny round bur with slender hooked spines, 1/2 inch in diameter.
Twig: Green to reddish brown with white pubescence, brittle, narrow leaf scars, resinous or sticky.
Bark: Reddish brown and becoming smooth and shiny, later becoming somewhat scaly or shallowly ridged and furrowed.
Form: A gangling, sprawling shrub to 2 feet tall.
Looks like: triangleleaf bursage - canyon ragweed - white bursage

Additional Range Information: Ambrosia chenopodiifolia is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information