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Home  /  Plants  /  Budburst Species  /  Artemisia vulgaris

COMMON NAME

Common mugwort

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Artemisia vulgaris

ALSO KNOWN AS

Common wormwood, Riverside wormwood, felon herb, chrysanthemum weed

Plant family

Aster (Asteraceae)

Plant group

Wildflowers and Herbs

Common mugwort is a perennial plant that can grow 1-2 m tall. It has thick rhizomatous roots and aromatic leaves. The stems have vertical grooves that are often reddish-purple.
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OBSERVATIONS
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Identification hints

Mugwort spreads rhizomatously underground, often aggressively to more than 6' wide. Mugwort can be distinguished from wormwood (A. absinthium) by its leaves with silver below and green above, whereas wormwood leaves are silver above and below.
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Did you know?

The common name mugwort comes from "mug" referring to a drinking vessel, because prior to the introduction of hops, mugwort was used to flavor beer.
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
Alaska , Alabama , California , Connecticut , District of Columbia , Delaware , Florida , Georgia , Hawaii , Iowa , Idaho , Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Kentucky , Louisiana , Massachusetts , Maryland , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Montana , North Carolina , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York , Ohio , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , South Carolina , Tennessee , Virginia , Vermont , Washington , Wisconsin , West Virginia
HABITAT
Common mugwort is native to Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Alaska, but has naturalized in many parts of North America.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
The lower leaves of mugwort grow up to 4" long, and have 3 to 5 deeply divided leaflets. Leaves are deep green above and with dense, silvery white hair on the undersides. The leaves become smaller and narrower as they move up the stem and among the flowers. The leaves are aromatic, smelling of
Flowers
Flowers are yellow to reddish brown discoid (like a sunflower) flowers, about 1/8" across, and without petals. Flowers are clustered densely among leaves towards the tops of the stems.
Fruits
Fruits are a single seeded achene.
Bloom Time
Flowers bloom in late summer or early fall.

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