×

Oh Say, Do You Sneeze?

Photo by Susan Crossett

Returning from a trip to Portland, Ore., where my one family is now settling, I brought back little but the beginnings of a juicy head cold.

Those who have observed my plight all tend to blame it on the airlines. Sorry, not this time, for I started cold pills the morning before my flight — though I’m certain having to meet the taxi at 5 a.m. (Yes! Morning) did nothing to help.

Instead of improving, as one might hope if not expect, colds and allergies have counter-balanced each other well into August. I suppose it’s supposed to be a consolation to know many others have suffered especially this year, too. I’m not all that sure.

While still sniffling occasionally, picking ragweed as a subject seemed a relevant choice.

Newcomb calls it “unattractive weeds whose pollen is a principal cause of hay fever” during summer and fall. (We ain’t done yet, folks! It looks like this may be one of those years — not that I really have anything against breathing.)

For any unfamiliar with “ambrosia artemisisfolia” or, depending on the source, “A. psilostachya” (and I do wonder how “ambrosia” meaning “food of the gods” crept in there) this green plant can grow up to six feet high with green flowers in tall one-to-six inch racemes (parts indistinguishable). The leaves are deeply lobed. Newcomb tells us it’s very common in cultivated ground and along roadsides.

Great ragweed (oh, yes, it’s here too) has leaves with just three to five deep lobes and can grow up to 15 feet. It likes moist ground but tends to avoid New England.

Many ragweed species have been introduced to the Old World (on purpose?) where they’ve naturalized (naturally). It is feared they will keep spreading across Europe due to the changes expected in the climate.

One should not be surprised to see this plant omitted from “Edible Wild Plants.”

Wikipedia tells us they are annual or perennial, herbs or shrubs, short or really tall, with leaves opposite or alternate or both, having edges smooth or toothed, hairy or not.

In case you didn’t know, the pollen is a common allergen with a single plant capable of putting out about a billion grains of pollen each year which are then transported on any available wind. Significant rainfall can remove pollen from the air so there is a basis for feeling refreshed after a good rain. Barring that, however, ’tis best to venture out early in the morning when pollen levels are the lowest. They peak about midday. You didn’t really want to know this: “Ragweed pollen can remain airborne for days and travel great distances, affecting people hundreds of miles away.” It can be carried hundreds of miles across water too, so there’s no escaping.

Because of a nasty thing called IgE antibodies, ragweed sufferers may also have food allergies to certain fruits, vegetables and nuts. Common reactions (do you really want to hear this?) include itching, burning and swelling of the mouth and throat, runny eyes and noses, and hives.

Is nothing to be done then? Not much, folks. Spraying only works with a very aggressive herbicide, definitely not recommended for urban areas. At one time, the plants were cut, dried and burned, a method now generally discarded because of the smoke pollution. Digging them up is generally a waste of time and contact with the skin can cause its own allergic reaction.

I also read that mechanical or chemical controls are really not effective over time. Better just to leave the plant in place.

Another tissue, anyone?

Susan Crossett has lived outside Cassadaga for more than 20 years. A lifetime of writing led to these columns as well as two novels. Her Reason for Being was published in 2008 with Love in Three Acts following in 2014. Both novels are now available at Lakewood’s Off the Beaten Path bookstore. Information on all the Musings, her books and the author may be found at Susancrossett.com.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today