Tumbleweed

(Amaranthus albus)

 

Color Photograph: © Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Tumbleweed (Amaranthus albus)

Identification: Flowers small, green, insignificant, clustered in leaf axils, each with 3 sharp bracts. Stem whitish, tough. Leaves small, spoonlike, white underneath. Plant 0.5 to 2 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout North America.

Habitat: Tumbleweed is a species of fields, river and lake banks, roadsides, and other waste areas.

Flowering period: June to September.

Note: In the fall the dry plant breaks off at the base and is blown across the landscape by the wind. This tumbleweed should not be confused with the tumbleweed of western lore, a composite.

Tumbleweed (Amaranthus albus)

Similar Species:

The white stem and small, spoon-shaped leaves are distinctive.

Similar Species

No Similar Species