This Pigweed is an annual herb that germinates from seeds each year.
This happens whenever soil conditions are right and thus can be found
in flower for a large part of the year. The stalk of this species is large
- up to 6 feet. The infloresence is often quite dense. The leaves are
also quite large and can be over 3 inches in lenght. The roots, while
probably averaging only a meter in depth can reach nearly 2.5 meters in
depth.
This plant is toxic when consumed in large quanities. It has been listed
as a noxious weed partly because of the ill-effects it can have on the
cattle whom ingest it fresh or in their hay.
VIDEO
Links to more information
Everything
you wanted to know about A. retroflexus- This government
site is not pretty and it takes a while to find what you want, but
in the end is a wealth of good information on this species. This site
is an article summarizing several studies on the plant. You won't
find this valuable information on many other sites on the web.