Artemisia vulgaris L.

Wormwood, mugwort, common mugwort, common wormwood

About plant names...

Common wormwood is a North American native. Don’t confuse it with the related species, Artemisia absinthium (from which absinthe is made)—it is also called wormwood. In Russia and the Ukraine, a common name for wormwood (полынь) is “chernobyl.” Like the town, whose name dates back to the 12th century, the origin of the name is not known.

Identification: Plants are 20-59" (50-150 cm) tall, on stiff stems that branch only a little. Stems are ridged, green or often purple, and nearly hairless, although tiny white hairs make the stem appear more pink than purple. Leaves are green above, but feltlike below, covered with tiny white hairs, 1¾-8" (5-20 cm) × 1-1¾" (3-5 cm). The leaves are deeply divided. Although numerous, flowers are small, inconspicuous, and yellow or dark red; they appear from July to September.

References:

Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, Common Weeds of the United States, Dover Publications, Inc., 1971, p. 374

Uva, Richard H.; Neal, Joseph C.; DiTomaso, Joseph M., Weeds of the Northeast, Comstock Publishing Associates, 1997, p. 116

Online References:

Artemisia vulgaris on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Artemisia vulgaris on Wikipedia

Artemisia vulgaris on the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Artemisia vulgaris on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

Artemisia vulgaris on Botanical.com

6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 10" (17 × 25 cm)

8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 12 × 17" (29 × 44 cm) ID is uncertain

9/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm)

9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 14" (23 × 35 cm)

9/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 14" (23 × 35 cm)

Artemisia vulgaris description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 1 Sep 2021.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 14" (23 × 35 cm) ID is uncertain

9/4/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Area, Dunstable, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 12 cm)

9/4/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Area, Dunstable, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 10 cm)

6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 23 cm)

6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 15 × 10" (37 × 25 cm)

8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 5" (9.2 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

9/4/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Area, Dunstable, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 16 cm)

9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

Range:

About this map...