Coastal Ragweed vs Ghost Anemone

Ambrosia hispida compared with Diadumene leucolena

Key Differences

Coastal Ragweed is Least Concern while Ghost Anemone is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Ragweed	Ghost Anemone
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Cnidaria (Cnidarians)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Anthozoa
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Actiniaria (Actiniaria)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Diadumenidae
Genus	Ambrosia	Diadumene
Species	Ambrosia hispida	Diadumene leucolena

Conservation Status

Coastal Ragweed

LC — Least Concern

Ghost Anemone

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Ragweed	Ghost Anemone
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal Ragweed

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Cuba.

Ghost Anemone

Habitat

Native to Africa and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Cameroon, Morocco, Senegal, Spain, and United States.

Coastal Ragweed

Coastal ragweed (Ambrosia hispida) is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae, native to the coastal dunes, sandy beaches, and cays of Cuba, the Bahamas, and the wider Caribbean region. It grows in pioneer beach and dune vegetation, often forming spreading colonies that help stabilise loose coastal sands. Like other members of the genus Ambrosia, it bears inconspicuous greenish-white flowers arranged in racemes; male flower heads produce wind-dispersed pollen that can trigger allergic rhinitis in sensitive individuals. The deeply lobed, hispid leaves are adapted to reflect intense solar radiation and tolerate salt spray. Coastal ragweed plays an ecological role in early dune succession, binding sand and enabling other plant species to establish. The genus is widespread globally, with several Ambrosia species considered noxious weeds in agricultural settings, though Ambrosia hispida is restricted to its native Caribbean coastal range. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern, reflecting adequate population size across its Caribbean coastal distribution. Pressure from coastal development and tourism infrastructure poses a localised threat to dune communities it inhabits.