Artemisia absinthium
Artemisia absinthium is a wormwood. It has been used to repel fleas and moths, and in brewing to make absinthe. It is also used medically as a tonic, stomachic, febrifuge and anthelmintic. It is native to Europe and Siberia and is now widespread in the United States.
Botanical Characteristics
A long-lived, robust perennial, it can grow to 4 feet tall (1 metre). It is covered in fine, silky silvery white hair and several oil-producing glands. Its stems are a silvery green color, erect, grooved, branched, and rich in leaves.
Its leaves are a greenish grey color on the surface, and almost white and silky on the underneath. Basal leaves measure up to 25 centimetres, and have long stems (or petioles). Leaves along the stem have shorter stems, with less grooves. Upper leaves may be both simple and sessile (without a petiole). The plant blossoms from July to September. Its flowers are yellow, tubular, clustered in leaning globular flower-heads, which are in turn clustered in leafy and branched spikes.
The plant has a hard rhizome.
Distribution and Habitat
Originated in the temperate climates of continental areas of Europe, Asia and Northen Africa. Naturalized elsewhere. It grows naturally on uncultivated, arid soil, on rocky slopes, by the side of footpaths and fields.
Cultivation
It can easily be cultivated in a dry soil.
