Artemisia vulgaris
mugwort
Family AsteraceaeAlso called common mugwort, common wormwood
About
Mugwort is an aromatic perennial of temperate Europe, Asia and North Africa, used medicinally and as a culinary herb, and regarded as an invasive weed in parts of North America.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Touching the plant, or drinking preparations made from it, is thought to cause dermatitis in some people.
- Soil
- Tolerates poor, low-nitrogen soils; prefers alkaline, open sandy ground.
- Propagation
- Spreads by rhizome fragments; seldom from seed in temperate climates.
- Mature size
- Up to 1.5 m tall.
Field notes
Morphology
Herbaceous perennial up to 1.5 m with angular, purplish stems. Pinnate leaves are smooth and dark green above and densely white-felted beneath.
Distribution & habitat
Native to temperate Europe, Asia, North Africa and Alaska; naturalised in North America. Common on low-nitrogen waste ground, roadsides and open sandy soil, favouring alkaline conditions.
Ecology
Few viable seeds form in temperate regions; it spreads mainly by rhizomes, and ploughing scatters rhizome fragments that start new plants. Moths such as Ostrinia scapulalis feed on it, and it may be attacked by honey fungus.
History & etymology
Mugworts have long been used in folk medicine and cooking.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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