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Article: Unfairly accused ; If you're sneezing, blame ragweed, not goldenrod
- Article from:
- Concord Monitor
- Article date:
- September 13, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 Concord Monitor. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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If you are sneezing up a storm right now, please don't blame the
goldenrod. Most allergies are caused by wind-pollinated plants like
grasses and trees. The major culprit in late summer is ragweed,
which produces pollen in great abundance. Its drab flowers often go
unnoticed: It has no need to be attractive to insects, because the
wind does the work of spreading its pollen. Under a microscope,
these tiny granules are studded with hooks. No wonder they cause us
so much discomfort!
Goldenrod, whose pollen is too heavy and sticky to become
airborne, needs to put on a show to attract pollinating insects.
Since those flowers are what we see through our watery eyes, in
between sneezes, they get ...