 Artemisia absinthium by Koehler 1887 Artemisia absinthium or Absinth Wormwood, 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.
Description
A hardy, herbaceous perennial, it can grow to 4 feet tall (1 metre). It is covered in silky silvery-white hairs and many oil-producing glands. Its stems are a silvery-green color, straight, grooved, branched, and covered in leaves.
Its leaves are alternate, a greenish-grey color on the upper side, and almost white and silky underneath. The basal leaves measure up to 25 centimetres in length and have long petioles. The cauline leaves (those on the stem) have short petioles and are less divided. The top leaves can even be both simple and sessile (without a petiole). The plant blossoms from July to September. Its flowers are yellow, tubular, and clustered in spherical bent-down heads (composite flowers), which are in turn clustered in leafy and branched panicles.
The plant has a hard rhizome.
Botanical Characteristics
- Reproductive organs:
- Seed:
- Distribution and habitat:
- Habitat type: long-fallow xerophilous land, middle-European
- Area of distribution: Eurasia
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
The plant can easily be cultivated in low-grade, dry soil. Plant under bright exposure on fertile, mid-weight soil. It prefers pedocal soil, rich in nitrogen. It reproduces by growth or by seed in the nursery bed.
Absint Wormwood in the Caucasus Range Uses
The plant's characteristic odour can make it useful for plant purines. In the cultivation of absinthe, in part the secretions of the roots exert an inhibiting effect on the growth of surrounding plants, thus weeds. It can be useful to repel other plants but it should only be planted for such a purpose on the edge of the area of cultivation.
This plant is used as the base for the liquor absinthe
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