Ambrosia chamissonis
Asteraceae
Silver Burweed
Sprawling clumps. Decumbent stems branched, gray- to brown-haired. Leaves thick, pinnately lobed or toothed, upper and lower surfaces with gray sticky hairs. Flowers rayless, greenish; male flowers held in dense 3 in. spikes above larger female flowers crowded at spike base in spiny bracts. Bracts later form seed-bearing silver burrs with 2–4 rows of sharp thorns. Grows on sand dunes and in gravelly places along coast. Plant smells sweet. In ancient times people thought eating sweet-smelling plants rendered long life, as Ambrosia, food of the gods, rendered immortal life.
- Rarity: Locally Common
- Flowering Time: Early Summer, Mid Summer, Late Summer
- Flower Form: 5 United Petals, Regular Shape, Ovary Superior
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Height: 6–40 inches
- Habitat: Coastal
- Found In: Olympic NP
- Native: Yes
- Also Known As: Cut-Leaf Beach Bur
- Latin Synonyms: Franseria chamissonis
