Artemisia_(genus)

Artemisia



Artemisia dracunculus


Scientific classification





Kingdom:

Plantae



Division:

Magnoliophyta



Class:

Magnoliopsida



Order:

Asterales



Family:

Asteraceae



Genus:

Artemisia
L., 1753




Species



See text



Artemisia is a large, diverse genus of mostly perennial and aromatic herbs and shrubs in the daisy family Asteraceae, characterized by alternate leaves and small flower heads. Many of the perhaps 400 species in the genus are valued for their essential oils or as ornamentals. Well-known species include wormwood, mugwort, tarragon, and sagebush.

Contents

1 Description

1.1 Asteraceae family
1.2 Artemisia genus


2 Uses
3 Selected species
4 References
5 External references
6 Credits


Many of the plant components that are so vital to the survival and reproduction of the plants—leaves, flowers, volatile oils—also provide a larger value for humans. The leaves and essential oils are used medicinally, including the production of an anti-malarial compound from Artemisia annua. Various species are used for culinary purposes, with A. absinthium used in vermouth and absinthe, and A. dracunculus (tarragon) popular in French cuisine. Although many species are wind-pollinated, there is evidence of insect pollination for some species (Tkach et al. 2007), with the flowers offering nectar to the insects in exchange for pollination. The attractive foliage and colorful flower-heads of some species make them desirable ornamental plants.
DescriptionAsteraceae family Artemisia pycnocephala (Beach Sagewort) flowersThe family Asteraceae or Compositae, to which Artemisia belongs, is known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family. It is the largest family of flowering plants in terms of number of species. According to the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew, the family comprises more than 1,600 genera and 23,000 species. The name 'Asteraceae' is derived from the type genus Aster and refers to the star-shaped flower head of its members, epitomized well by the daisy. "Compositae," an older but still valid name (McNeill et al. 2006), means "composite" and refers to the unique inflorescence Inflorescences: How flowers are arranged on the stem The Seed Site. Retrieved June 11, 2008. (described below).
Asteraceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants. In addition to the daisy and members of Artemisia, other well-known members of the family include lettuce, chicory, globe artichoke, safflower, dandelion, ragwort, and sunflower.
Plants belonging to the Asteraceae Information about Compositae or Asteraceae The Stanford Dahlia Project. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
share all the following characteristics (Judd et al. 1999). None of these traits, taken separately, can be considered synapomorphic.
The inflorescence is an involucrate capitulum (flower head)
Tubular/disc florets are actinomorphic, ligulate/ray florets are zygomorphic
Anthers are syngenesious, i.e. with the stamens fused together at their edges, forming a tube
The ovary has basal arrangement of the ovules
One ovule per ovary
The calyx (sepals) of the florets are modified to form a pappus, a tuft of hairs, which often appears on the mature fruit
The fruit is an achene
In the essential oils Sesquiterpenes are present, but iridoids are lacking.The most common characteristic of all these plants is a flower head (formerly composite flower), which is often thought to be a single flower but is actually a densely packed cluster of numerous, small, individual flowers, usually called florets (meaning "small flowers"). Plants with flower heads include daisies and sunflowers. Flower heads in members of the family Asteraceae typically comprise one or both of two kinds of florets. Florets occupying the outer perimeter of a flower head like that of a sunflower each possess a long strap-like petal, termed a ligule. Such florets, are called ray florets to distinguish them from the usually more numerous disc florets occupying the inner portion of the flower head (or disc). Each of the disc florets has fused petals forming a tubular corolla.
Artemisia genus Artemisia absinthium (Absinthe Wormwood) shootsThe genus Artemisia contains between 200 and 400 described species. It comprises hardy plants known for their volatile oils. Members of the genus range from dwarf herbaceous plants to tall shrubs. These are mostly perennial plants and are frequently aromatic (Mucciarelli and Maffei 2002). They all have alternate leaves, tubular florets, and small capitula, which usually occur as pendant, racemose, capitate, or paniculate inflorescences, rarely solitary (Mucciarelli and Maffei 2002). The fern-like leaves of many species are covered with white hairs.
They grow in temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, usually in dry or semi-dry habitats. They can be found from the Arctic alpine or mountainous areas to the dry deserts, and dominate the steppe communities of Asia, South Africa, and the New World (Mucciarelli and Maffei 2002). Many species are wind pollinated, although there is evidence for insect pollination in some species based on their having colorful capitula and sticky pollen (Tkach et al. 2007). Some species are self-pollinated (Tkach et al. 2007).
Some botanists split the genus into several genera, but DNA analysis (Watson et al. 2002) does not support the maintenance of the genera Crossostephium, Filifolium, Neopallasia, Seriphidium, and Sphaeromeria. Three other segregate genera, Stilnolepis, Elachanthemum, and Kaschgaria, are maintained by this evidence.
Common names used for several species include wormwood, mugwort, sagebrush, and sagewort, while a few species have unique names, notably tarragon (A. dracunculus) and southernwood (A. abrotanum). Occasionally some of the species are called sages, causing confusion with the Salvia sages in the family Lamiaceae.
Artemisia species are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species.
UsesArtemisia plants are valued for medicinal, ornamental, culinary, and insect-repelling purposes.
The aromatic leaves of various species of Artemisia are medicinal, such as Artemisia absinthium, absinth wormwood or common wormwood, which is used medicinally as a tonic, stomachic, febrifuge, and anthelmintic. Artemisinin, extracted from Chinese wormwood, Artemisia annua, is the active ingredient in the anti-malarial combination therapy 'Coartem', produced by Novartis and the World Health Organization. It is useful for strains of malaria resistant to quinine.
Some Artemisia species are valued for culinary purposes, although most have an extremely bitter taste. Absinth or common wormwood, A. absinthium, in addition to the above-mentioned medicinal purposes, is used in brewing wormwood beer and in such beverages as vermouth and absinthe. The aperitif vermouth (derived from the German word for wormwood, wermut) is a wine flavored with aromatic herbs, but originally with wormwood. Absinthe is a highly potent spirit that contains wormwood. Artemisia arborescens (tree wormwood, or sheeba in Arabic) is a very bitter herb indigenous to the Middle East that is used in tea, usually with mint. A. dracunculus (tarragon) is widely used as a herb, particularly important in French cuisine. It is one of the four fines herbes of French cooking, and particularly suitable for chicken, fish, and egg dishes. Tarragon is one of the main components of Bearnaise sauce.
Artemisia absinthium also is used to repel fleas and moths. The bitterness of the plant also led to its use by wet-nurses for weaning infants from the breast, as in this speech by Shakespeare from Romeo and Juliet Act I, Scene 3:
Nurse: …
And she [Juliet] was wean'd, – I never shall forget it, –
Of all the days of the year, upon that day:
For I had then laid wormwood to my dug,
...Various Artemisia species are grown as ornamental plants, with the fine-textured ones used for clipped bordering, with their attractive green, grayish, or silver foliage linking or contrasting those plants with stronger colors. All grow best in free-draining sandy soil, unfertilized, and in full sun.
Both absinthe wormwood, Artemisia absinthium, and mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris are used with such religious practices as Wicca, being believed to have multiple effects on the psychic abilities of the practitioner. The beliefs surrounding this genus are founded upon the strong association between the herbs of the genus Artemisia and the moon goddess Artemis, who is believed to hold these powers. She is known also by Diana, Selene, and Phoebe. In Hellenistic culture, Artemis was a goddess of the hunt, and protector of the forest and children.
It is also said that the genus Artemisia (which includes over 400 plants) may be named after an ancient botanist. Artemisia was the wife and sister of the Greek/Persian King Mausolus from the name of whose tomb we get the word mausoleum. Artemisia, who ruled for three years after the king's death, was a botanist and medical researcher, and died in 350 B.C.E. (GHO 2008).
In Russian culture, the fact that Artemisia species are commonly used in medicine, and their bitter taste is associated with medicinal effects, has caused wormwood to be seen as a symbol for a "bitter truth" that must be accepted by a deluded (often self-deluded) person. This symbol has acquired a particular poignancy in modern Russian poetry, which often deals with the loss of illusory beliefs in various ideologies.
Selected species Artemisia absinthium (Absinthe Wormwood) Artemisia alba Artemisia californica (California Sagebrush) leaves Artemisia cina (Levant Wormseed) Artemisia pontica (Roman Wormwood) Artemisia 'Powys Castle'Artemisia abrotanum L. – Southernwood, Southern Wormwood, Abrotanum, Lemon Plant
Artemisia absinthium L. – Absinth or Grand Wormwood, Common Wormwood, used in Absinthe
Artemisia adamsii Besser
Artemisia afra – African Wormwood, African Sagebrush
Artemisia alaskana Rydb. – Alaska Wormwood
Artemisia alba
Artemisia alcockii Pamp.
Artemisia aleutica Hultén – Aleutian Wormwood
Artemisia amoena Poljakov
Artemisia annua L. – Annual Wormwood, Sweet Sagewort, Sweet Annie
Artemisia araxina Takht.
Artemisia arborescens - Tree Wormwood
Artemisia arbuscula Nutt. – Little Sagebrush, Low Sagebrush, Black Sage
Artemisia arctica Less. – Boreal Sagebrush
Artemisia arctisibirica Korobkov
Artemisia arenaria DC.
Artemisia arenicola Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia argentea (Madeira wormwood ?)
Artemisia argyi H.Lév. & Vaniot
Artemisia argyrophylla Ledeb.
Artemisia armeniaca Lam.
Artemisia aschurbajewii C.G.Aro
Artemisia australis Less. – Oahu Wormwood
Artemisia austriaca Jacq.
Artemisia avarica Minat.
Artemisia badhysi Krasch. & Lincz. ex Poljakov
Artemisia balchanorum Krasch.
Artemisia baldshuanica Krasch. & Zaprjag.
Artemisia bargusinensis Spreng.
Artemisia bejdemaniae Leonova
Artemisia biennis Willd. – Biennial Sagewort, Biennial Wormwood
Artemisia bigelovii Gray – Bigelow Sage, Bigelow Sagebrush
Artemisia borealis Pall.
Artemisia borotalensis Poljakov
Artemisia bottnica Lundstr. ex Kindb.
Artemisia caespitosa Ledeb.
Artemisia californica Less. – Coastal Sagebrush, California Sagebrush
Artemisia camelorum Krasch.
Artemisia campestris L. – Field Wormwood
Artemisia cana Pursh – Silver Sagebrush
Artemisia canadensis – Canada Wormwood
Artemisia capillaris Thunb. – Capillary Wormwood, Yerba Lenna Yesca
Artemisia carruthii Wood ex Carruth. – Carruth Sagewort, Carruth's Sagebrush
Artemisia caucasica Willd.
Artemisia chamaemelifolia Vill.
Artemisia cina O. Berg & C. F. Schmidt – Santonica, Levant Wormseed
Artemisia ciniformis Krasch. & Popov ex Poljakov
Artemisia coarctata (???)
Artemisia commutata Besser
Artemisia compacta Fisch. ex DC.
Artemisia cuspidata Krasch.
Artemisia czukavinae Filatova
Artemisia daghestanica Krasch. & Poretzky
Artemisia demissa Krasch.
Artemisia depauperata Krasch.
Artemisia deserti Krasch.
Artemisia desertorum Spreng.
Artemisia diffusa Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia dimoana Popov
Artemisia dolosa Krasch.
Artemisia douglasiana Bess. – Douglas' Mugwort, Douglas' Sagewort
Artemisia dracunculus L. – Tarragon
Artemisia dubia Wall.
Artemisia dubjanskyana Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia dumosa Poljakov
Artemisia elongata Filatova & Ladygina
Artemisia eremophila Krasch. & Butkov ex Poljakov
Artemisia eriantha Ten.
Artemisia feddei H.Lév. & Vaniot
Artemisia fedtschenkoana Krasch.
Artemisia ferganensis Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia filifolia Torr. – Sand Sagebrush, Sand Sagebush, Silvery Wormwood
Artemisia flava Jurtzev
Artemisia franserioides Greene – Ragweed Sagebrush
Artemisia freyniana (Pamp.) Krasch.
Artemisia frigida Willd. – Fringed Sagebrush, Fringed Sagewort, Prairie Sagewort
Artemisia fulvella Filatova & Ladygina
Artemisia furcata Bieb. – Forked Wormwood
Artemisia galinae Ikonn.
Artemisia glabella Kar. & Kir.
Artemisia glacialis – Glacier Wormwood, Alpine Mugwort
Artemisia glanduligera Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia glauca Pall. ex Willd.
Artemisia glaucina Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia globosa Krasch.
Artemisia globularia Cham. ex Bess. – Purple Wormwood
Artemisia glomerata Ledeb. – Cudweed Sagewort, Pacific Alpine Wormwood
Artemisia gmelinii Webb ex Stechmann – Gmelin's Wormwood
Artemisia gnaphalodes Nutt.
Artemisia gorjaevii Poljakov
Artemisia gracilescens Krasch. & Iljin
Artemisia gurganica (Krasch.) Filatova
Artemisia gypsacea Krasch., Popov & Lincz. ex Poljakov
Artemisia halodendron Turcz. ex Besser
Artemisia halophila Krasch.
Artemisia heptapotamica Poljakov
Artemisia hippolyti Butkov
Artemisia hololeuca M.Bieb. ex Besser
Artemisia hulteniana Vorosch.
Artemisia incana (L.) Druce
Artemisia insulana Krasch.
Artemisia insularis Kitam.
Artemisia integrifolia L.
Artemisia issykkulensis Poljakov
Artemisia jacutica Drobow
Artemisia japonica Thunb.
Artemisia juncea Kar. & Kir.
Artemisia karatavica Krasch. & Abolin ex Poljakov
Artemisia karavajevii Leonova
Artemisia kaschgarica Krasch.
Artemisia kauaiensis (Skottsberg) Skottsberg – Kauai Wormwood
Artemisia keiskeana Miq.
Artemisia kelleri Krasch.
Artemisia kemrudica Krasch.
Artemisia knorringiana Krasch.
Artemisia kochiiformis Krasch. & Lincz. ex Poljakov
Artemisia koidzumii Nakai
Artemisia kopetdaghensis Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia korovinii Poljakov
Artemisia korshinskyi Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia krushiana Bess. – Krush's Wormwood
Artemisia kulbadica Boiss. & Buhse
Artemisia kuschakewiczii C.G.A.Winkl.
Artemisia laciniata Willd. – Siberian Wormwood
Artemisia laciniatiformis Kom.
Artimisia lactiflora
Artemisia lagocephala (Besser) DC.
Artemisia lagopus Fisch. ex Besser
Artemisia latifolia Ledeb.
Artemisia ledebouriana Besser
Artemisia lehmanniana Bunge
Artemisia leontopodioides Fisch. ex Besser
Artemisia lessingiana Besser
Artemisia leucodes Schrenk
Artemisia leucophylla (Turcz. ex Besser) Pamp.
Artemisia leucotricha Krasch. ex Ladygina
Artemisia lindleyana Bess. – Columbia River Wormwood
Artemisia lipskyi Poljakov
Artemisia littoricola Kitam.
Artemisia longifolia Nutt. – Longleaf Sagebrush, Longleaf Wormwood
Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt. – Gray Sagewort, Prairie Sage, White Sagebrush
Artemisia macilenta (Maxim.) Krasch.
Artemisia macrantha Ledeb.
Artemisia macrobotrys Ledeb. – Yukon Wormwood
Artemisia macrocephala Jacq. ex Besser
Artemisia macrorhiza Turcz.
Artemisia maracandica Bunge
Artemisia maritima L. – Sea Wormwood
Artemisia marschalliana Spreng.
Artemisia martjanovii Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia mauiensis (Gray) Skottsberg – Maui Wormwood
Artemisia maximovicziana Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia medioxima Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia messerschmidtiana Besser
Artemisia michauxiana Bess. – Michaux Sagebrush, Michaux's Wormwood
Artemisia mogoltavica Poljakov
Artemisia mongolica (Besser) Fisch. ex Nakai
Artemisia mongolorum Krasch.
Artemisia montana (Nakai) Pamp.
Artemisia mucronulata Poljakov
Artemisia multisecta Leonova
Artemisia namanganica Poljakov
Artemisia nesiotica Raven – Island Sagebrush
Artemisia nigricans Filatova & Ladygina
Artemisia norvegica Fries – Norwegian Mugwort
Artemisia nova A. Nels. – Black Sagebrush
Artemisia obscura Pamp.
Artemisia obtusiloba Ledeb.
Artemisia oelandica (Besser) Krasch.
Artemisia olchonensis Leonova
Artemisia oliveriana J. Gay ex Besser
Artemisia opulenta Pamp.
Artemisia packardiae J. Grimes & Ertter – Packard's Wormwood, Succor Creek Sagebrush
Artemisia pallasiana Fisch. ex Besser
Artemisia palmeri Gray – San Diego Sagewort
Artemisia palustris L.
Artemisia pannosa Krasch.
Artemisia papposa Blake & Cronq. – Owyhee Sage, Owyhee Sagebrush
Artemisia parryi Gray – Parry's Wormwood
Artemisia pattersonii Gray – Patterson's Wormwood
Artemisia pectinata Pall.
Artemisia pedatifida Nutt. – Birdfoot Sagebrush
Artemisia pedemontana Balb.
Artemisia persica Boiss.
Artemisia pewzowii C.G.A.Winkl.
Artemisia phaeolepis Krasch.
Artemisia polysticha Poljakov
Artemisia pontica L. – Roman Wormwood, "Petite Absinthe" (used in Absinthe)
Artemisia porrecta Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia porteri Cronq. – Porter's Wormwood
Artemisia prasina Krasch. ex Poljak.
Artemisia princeps Pamp. – Japanese Mugwort, Yomogi
Artemisia proceriformis Krasch.
Artemisia prolixa Krasch. ex Poljak.
Artemisia punctigera Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia purshiana Besser
Artemisia pycnocephala (Less.) DC. – Beach Wormwood
Artemisia pycnorhiza Ledeb.
Artemisia pygmaea Gray – Pygmy Sagebrush
Artemisia quinqueloba Trautv.
Artemisia remotiloba Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia rhodantha Rupr.
Artemisia rigida (Nutt.) Gray – Scabland Sagebrush
Artemisia rothrockii Gray – Timberline Sagebrush
Artemisia rubripes Nakai
Artemisia rupestris L. – Rock Wormwood, Alpine Yarrow
Artemisia rutifolia Stephan ex Spreng.
Artemisia saissanica (Krasch.) Filatova
Artemisia saitoana Kitam.
Artemisia salsoloides Willd.
Artemisia samoiedorum Pamp.
Artemisia santolina Schrenk
Artemisia santolinifolia Turcz. ex Besser
Artemisia santonica L.
Artemisia saposhnikovii Krasch. ex Poljak.
Artemisia schischkinii Krasch.
Artemisia schmidtiana – 'Nana' - Silver Mound Artemisia - Satiny Wormwood Artemisia schmidtiana 'Silver Mound' The Ohio State University. Retrieved May 1, 2008. Silver Mound Artemisia, Angel's Hair Philippe Faucon. Retrieved May 1, 2008."tiny silver ball-like flowers" Heritage Perennial Profile Valleybrook International Ventures Inc. Retrieved May 1, 2008.Artemisia schrenkiana Ledeb.
Artemisia scoparia Waldst. & Kit. – Redstem Wormwood
Artemisia scopiformis Ledeb.
Artemisia scopulorum Gray – Alpine Sagebrush, Dwarf Sagebrush
Artemisia scotina Nevski
Artemisia senjavinensis Bess. – Arctic Wormwood
Artemisia selengensis Turcz. ex Besser
Artemisia semiarida (Krasch. & Lavrenko) Filatova
Artemisia senjavinensis Besser
Artemisia sericea Weber ex Stechm.
Artemisia serotina Bunge
Artemisia serrata Nutt. – Sawtooth Wormwood
Artemisia spinescens (syn. Picrothamnus desertorum) – Bud Brush, Bud Sage
Artemisia sieversiana Willd.
Artemisia skorniakowii C.G.A.Winkl.
Artemisia sogdiana Bunge
Artemisia songarica Schrenk
Artemisia spicigera K.Koch
Artemisia splendens Willd.
Artemisia stelleriana Bess. – Hoary Mugwort
Artemisia stenocephala Krasch. ex Poljak.
Artemisia stenophylla Kitam.
Artemisia stolonifera (Maxim.) Kom.
Artemisia subarctica Krasch.
Artemisia subchrysolepis Filatova
Artemisia sublessingiana Krasch. ex Poljakov
Artemisia subsalsa Filatova
Artemisia subviscosa Turcz. ex Besser
Artemisia succulenta Ledeb.
Artemisia suksdorfii Piper – Coastal Wormwood
Artemisia sylvatica Maxim.
Artemisia szowitziana (Besser) Grossh.
Artemisia tanacetifolia L.
Artemisia taurica Willd.
Artemisia tenuisecta Nevski
Artemisia terrae-albae Krasch.
Artemisia tianschanica Krasch. ex Poljak.
Artemisia tilesii Ledeb. – Tilesius' Wormwood
Artemisia tomentella Trautv.
Artemisia tournefortiana Rchb.
Artemisia transbaicalensis Leonova
Artemisia transiliensis Poljakov
Artemisia trautvetteriana Besser
Artemisia tridentata Nutt. – Big Sagebrush, Blue Sage, Black Sage, Basin Sagebrush
Artemisia triniana Besser
Artemisia tripartita Rydb. – Threetip Sagebrush
Artemisia turanica Krasch.
Artemisia turcomanica Gand.
Artemisia umbelliformis Lam. – Alps Wormwood
Artemisia unalaskensis Rydb.
Artemisia vachanica Krasch. ex Poljak.
Artemisia valida Krasch. ex Poljak.
Artemisia verlotiorum Lamotte – Chinese Wormwood
Artemisia viridis Willd.
Artemisia vulgaris L. – MugwortReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral feesGolden Harvest Organics (GHO). 2008. Companion planting: Wormwood or Artemisia. Golden Harvest Organics. Retrieved April 17, 2008.Judd, W. S., C. S. Campbell, E. A. Kellogg, and P. F. Stevens. 1999. Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates. ISBN 0878934049.McNeill, J. et al. 2006. International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. International Association of Plant Taxonomy (IAPT). Retrieved April 11, 2008.Mucciarelli, M., and M. Maffei. 2002. Introduction to the genus. 1-50 in C. W. Wright, Artemisia. Medicinal and aromatic plants—industrial profiles, v. 18. London: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0415272122.Tkach, N.V., M. H. Hoffmann, M. Roser, A. A. Korobkov, and K. B. von Hagan. 2007. Parallel evolutionary patterns in multiple lineages of arctic Artemisia L. (Asteraceae). Evolution 62(1): 184-198. Retrieved April 18, 2008.Watson, L. E., P. L. Bates, T. M. Evans, M. M. Urwin, and J. R. Estes. 2002. Molecular phylogeny of subtribe Artemisiinae (Asteraceae), including Artemisia and its allied and segregate genera. BioMed Central Evolutionary Biology 2:17. Retrieved April 17, 2008.External referencesAll links retrieved November 7, 2021.
Flora Europaea: Artemisia.
Flora of China: Artemisia species list.
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