Mugwort

Asteraceae

LIFE FORM: Perennial

NATIVITY: Europe

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

Robust plant can reach up to 6 feet tall; highly dissected, simple leaves are aromatic and alternate (2 to 4 inches long by 1 to 3 inches wide); surface is smooth, underside covered with white, wooly hairs.

FLOWERS:

Feathery, terminal inflorescence prodeced in late summer and fall, often causing the plant to bend over.

FRUIT:

Spreads readily by wind-dispersed seed and persistant rhizomes.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Common weed of vacant urban land; thrives on compacted soil with high pH. Prefers minimally maintained public parks and open space; vacant lots and rubble dump sites; small-scale pavement openings (tree pits) and cracks; railroad tracks with ballast substrate.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Performs phytoremedication function in degraded wetlands; nutrient absorption in wetlands; drought tolerance on compacted soils; erosion control on slopes; soil building on degraded land.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

Classic urban plant; once used to flavor beer in Europe (hence the name "mugwort"); dried leaves are burned in traditional Chinese medicine (moxa) to stimulate acupuncture points. Poisonous or otherwise harmful to human health.