|                    Beach ragweed, Coastal ragweed
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                |                    Ambrosia hispida  
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                |                    Asteraceae 
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                 Landscape Uses:
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                 An accent groundcover in open coastal locations. | 
               
                Ecological Restoration Notes:  | 
               
              
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                 Rather sporadic along the South Florida coast.  Perhaps never common, but its numbers may have been reduced by coastal development and erosion. | 
               
              
                | Availability: | 
               
              
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                 Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida. Available in Sanibel at the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (239-472-2329). | 
               
              
                | Description: | 
               
              
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                 Small spreading herb. | 
               
              
                | Height: | 
               
              
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                 Typically 1-3 feet in height but sometimes climbing into other vegetation.  Spreading and forming large mats. | 
               
              
                | Growth Rate: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate to fast. | 
               
              
                | Range: | 
               
              
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                 Monroe County Keys and Miami-Dade County north along the coasts to Brevard and Lee counties; West Indies, southern Mexico and Central America.  Rather rare and sporadic throughout its range in South Florida. | 
               
              
                | Habitats: | 
               
              
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                 Beach dunes and coastal strand. | 
               
              
                | Soils: | 
               
              
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                 Moist, well-drained sandy soils, without humus. | 
               
              
                | Nutritional Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils. | 
               
              
                | Salt Water Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. | 
               
              
                | Salt Wind Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Secondary line; tolerates significant salt wind without injury, but usually is somewhat protected. | 
               
              
                | Drought Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 High; does not require any supplemental water once established. | 
               
              
                | Light Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Full sun. | 
               
              
                | Flower Color: | 
               
              
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                 White. | 
               
              
                | Flower Characteristics: | 
               
              
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                 Semi-showy. | 
               
              
                | Flowering Season: | 
               
              
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                 All year; peak in summer. | 
               
              
                | Fruit: | 
               
              
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                 Inconspicuous achene with 1-5 conic spines.  All year. | 
               
              
                | Wildlife and Ecology: | 
               
              
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                 The flowers are pollinated by wind. | 
               
                     
                | Horticultural Notes: | 
               
              
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                 Can be grown from cuttings.  Newly planted patches may spread rapidly, then die back after 2-3 years. | 
               
              
                | Comments: | 
               
              
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                 An excellent groundcover in coastal areas with high light. | 
               
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                    Michelle Hayden In habitat, Eleuthera, Bahamas, 2013
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