Ambrosia ambrosioides

Big bur-sage, Big Bur-Sage

Family: Asteraceae · Type: shrub · Native

Big bur-sage is a California native shrub found in southern Southern California Coast near San Diego in coastal scrub and disturbed sites at elevations below 150 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small flowers in dense raceme-like clusters, with distinctive staminate and pistillate heads. Growing up to 2.5 meters tall with dark green, coarsely hairy stems that are sticky and aromatic, it has a distinctive bushy appearance. Its large leaves are lance-triangular, 3 to 20 centimeters long, with coarse teeth and a deep green color. The fruit is a remarkable bur 10 to 15 millimeters long, covered in over 50 spiraled, hooked spines that give the plant its distinctive "bur" character.

Habitat: Coastal scrub, disturbed sites

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 150 m

Bioregions: s SCo (near San Diego)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.