Arctic Wormwood

Artemisia arctica Less.
ar-tem-EE-see-uh (alt. ar-tem-EE-jhah) ARK-ti-kuh

Compositae (Composite Family)

CDHS Homepage    Project Poppy    Family Index
Color Index    Common Name Index     Compositae Index
Definitions

* Note: Aromatic. The genus, Artemisia, is named after the Greek goddess of female energies. Artemisia includes wormwoods, absinth, sagebrush, mugwort, and tarragon. They are all aromatic and bitter herbs and shrubs.  Additional common name: boreal sagebrush.

* Stem: One to few stems, up to 20" or more tall, lower half reddish, pinkish or purplish, rarely hairy, upper half whitish, downy.

* Flower: Heads mostly solitary and nodding. The oval bracts have thin, transparent rusty red to black margins which contrast with the narrower green center. Flowers are yellow.

* Leaves: Basal rosette have long slender stems, green, shiny, non-hairy leaf segments, twice to three times pinnately divided blade. Stem leaves stalkless, alternate, narrow.

* Habitat: Moist alpine meadows to 6,000', alpine tundra.