Artemisia vulgaris L.
Wormwood, mugwort, common mugwort, common wormwood
Common wormwood is a North American native. This species is very common, and sometimes invasive. 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.
Plants: 1½–5′ (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: Green above, but feltlike below, covered with tiny white hairs, 1¾–8 ⨉ 1–1¾″ (5–20 ⨉ 3–5 cm). The leaves are deeply divided.
Flowers: Although numerous, flowers are small, inconspicuous, and yellow or dark red; they appear from July to September.
Fruits: Achenes are small and lightweight, and distributed by wind.
Habitats: Low-nitrogen soils, such as waste places, roadsides and other weedy and uncultivated areas.
Medical: From Wikipedia:
Historically, A. vulgaris was referred to as the “mother of herbs” and has been widely used in the traditional Chinese, European, and Hindu medicine. It possesses a wide range of supposed pharmacological uses, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antispasmolytic, antinociceptive, antibacterial, antihypertensive, antihyperlipidemic, and antifungal properties.
References:
Online References:
6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 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) 
9/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 14″ (23 × 35 cm) 
8/20/2025 · Peaks Island, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 2½′ (51 × 76 cm) 
8/20/2025 · Peaks Island, Maine · ≈ 1 × 2′ (38 × 57 cm) 
8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 14″ (23 × 35 cm) 
9/4/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Area, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 12 cm) 
8/20/2025 · Peaks Island, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (29 × 19 cm) 
8/20/2025 · Peaks Island, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (30 × 21 cm) 
6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (16 × 23 cm) 
8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.2 × 13 cm) 
8/20/2025 · Peaks Island, Maine · ≈ 13 × 8″ (32 × 21 cm) 
9/10/2016 · Arlington St., Groton, Massachusetts 
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) 
9/14/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (41 × 53 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Artemisia | From the Greek goddess Artemis, who gave it her own name because it helped cure her (there are other possible reasons for the derivation of this name too) |
| Species | vulgaris | “Common” |
Artemisia vulgaris description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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