Artemisia absinthium

Family

Sunflower family

Other Names

American wormwood, common wormwood, mugwort, madderwort and wormwood sage

USDA Code

ARAB3

Legal Status

Colorado Noxious Weed List B

Identification

Lifecycle

Perennial forb or herb.

Growth form

3-5 ft tall. Woody at base; regrows from crown each spring.

Flower

Small, yellow, inconspicuous, numerous 1/8 in wide. Late July – August.

Seeds/Fruit

One seeded fruit, 1/16 in long, smooth, flattened and light gray-brown in color.

Leaves

Divided into deeply lobed leaflets, light green to olive green color, 2-5 in long.

Stems

20 or more stems grow from woody crown. Covered with fine silky hairs.

Roots

Taproot to 2 in diameter with shallow lateral branches up to 6 ft long.

Impacts

Agricultural

Reduces available forage, taints milk. Strong medicinal odor.

Ecological

May release allelopathic substances (chemicals that prevent other plants from growing).

Human

Used to produce Absinth, a potent alcohol based drink.

Habitat and Distribution

General requirements

Variable growing sites.

Distribution

Found in north central Colorado. 5,000-7,000 ft elevation.

Historical

Introduced from Europe in 1841.

Biology/Ecology

Mode of reproduction

Seed, small root fragments Seed bank: 3-4 years.

Dispersal

Wind, animals and human.

References

Lym, R. G., C. G. Messersmith, and A. G. Dexter. 1995. Absinth wormwood control. North Dakota State Univ. Ext. Ser. Circ. W-838. Fargo , ND .

Species account from USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)