Ambrosia Artemisiifolia
One of the plants whose pollen causes strong allergies is Ambrosia Artemisiifolia.
Features
- It belongs to the Composite family
- it is an annual herb, 20 cm to 1 meter tall
- It has an erect stem with disorderly hairy upper part
- it has divided, triangular or ovate leaves, green on both sides, with short hairs
- on average from the end of July to the end of September it produces inconspicuous flowers, yellowish or greenish in colour
- it prefers arid lands, successfully colonizing bare soils and lands where vegetation has been removed.
Ambrosia Artemisiifolia is often confused with Artemisia Vulgaris, which however has more jagged leaves, whitish in the lower part, which give off a strong odor.
Why report
Reports of its presence are important for safeguarding and improving the health of citizens.
It is possible to contain ragweed using different methods, however the final result, as it is strongly linked to the climatic season which can delay or bring forward flowering, is very variable.
Taking into account the high potential for infestation of the plant in our observation area, the timely and widespread monitoring of the territory guarantees, if not the eradication of the plant, a strong reduction of pollen in the air.
The interventions, which must be carried out before the maturation of the male inflorescences (which produce allergenic pollen), significantly reduce the spread of the pollen itself, also resulting in a notable reduction in the number of plants. The average effectiveness is greater than 97 percent.
Every year, the Municipality of Milan prepares appropriate checks and initiatives aimed at countering the spread of the plant in areas not yet invaded and containing it in infested areas. The union ordinances issued by the Administration prescribe the obligation to carry out differentiated maintenance and cleaning of mowing for:
- urban areas
- agricultural areas.
THEEnvironmental Emergency Unit and Operational Ecology Inspection Service of the Local Police it is the structures identified that activate the interventions necessary for the supervision of the areas in which this plant develops.
The checks are carried out paying particular attention to:
- road verges
- roundabouts and traffic islands
- uncultivated land
- lands cultivated with cereals where, after the harvest, ragweed often grows uniform and luxuriant
- abandoned green areas
- margins of agricultural areas in general
- banks of canals and rivers
- railway beds and areas adjacent to railways or tramways
- loose earth from construction sites
- abandoned industrial areas and in general all abandoned ones
- public green areas.
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Updated: 08/08/2023