Appearance

Artemisia vulgaris is a perennial herb that can grow from 24-63 in (60-160 cm) high. The stems are branched and purplishbrown. The ascending stems are covered with short hairs. A. vulgaris is rhizomatous, and often produces vegetative colonies of plants. It is native to northeastern Asia and extreme northwestern North America (Alaska).

Foliage

The simple lobed leaves are papery, pubescent, and dark green on the upper surface. Leaves are alternate. The leaves near the base are elliptic and oblong, lobed deeply almost to the midrib. The leaves midstem are elliptic to ovate, 1.2-4 in (3-10 cm) long by 0.6-2.4 in (1.5-6 cm) wide and lobed pinnately or bipinnately. Leaf margins may be serrate.

Flowers

The flower head has disk flowers only, and lacks the strap-shaped flowers. At the bud stage flowers are whitish green and become dull yellowish green to purplish green with maturity.

Fruit

The fruits develop and mature from August to October and are obovate or ovate achenes.

Ecological Threat

A. vulgaris grows easily in high-elevation pastures, forest edges, valleys, hillside wasteland, ditches, and roadsides. There are species of Artemisia native to North America.

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• Connecticut Invasive Plant List
• Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
• Delaware Invasive Species Council
• Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 4
• Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
• Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule
• Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
• John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
• Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Watch List
• Maine Invasive Plants
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources Policy: Restriction on Planting Exotic Invasive Plants
• Maryland Invasive Species Council - Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
• New York Regulated and Prohibited Invasive Species - Prohibited
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
• Pennsylvania Noxious Weeds
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States

References