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Field Sagewort, Beach Wormwood

Artemesia campestris ssp. caudata (Michx.) Hall & Clem.

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

▲ seedling

▲▼ first year growth

▲▼ second year growth prior to flowering (dead flowering stems visible in above photo)

▲ mature flowering plant

▲▼ flowering stems

▲▼ flowering stems

▲  leaf

 

Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata (Michx.) Hall & Clements, Field Sagewort, Beach Wormwood: (Bayer Code:  ARTCC; US Code ARCAC)

·         Biennial or short-lived perennials, with flowering stems growing 1-3 feet tall

·         Forms a rosette of gray-green basal leaves the first year

·         Basal leaves finely-divided, fernlike, usually with little or no odor

·         Sends up a flowering stem that is more branched toward the top, with tiny green, not showy flowers in axils of leaves

·         Native plant, found in sand, infertile soils; more common in northern Midwest

·         Found in sandy soils, on prairies, beaches, disturbed sites; more common in northern Midwest

·         In early stages, is somewhat similar to absinth wormwood, but field sagewort has more linear leaf segments than absinth wormwood

·         Is also similar to wild tarragon, but wild tarragon has linear leaves that are not divided into smaller segments

·         Can be toxic to livestock, but usually not consumed except in overgrazed areas

Native sagebrush/wormwood (Artemisia) species can provide valuable foot and habitat for many wildlife species, and so should not always be considered a weed in the sense that they should be controlled or eradicated.  Proper range management often allows for native species to continue as well as provide adequate grazing for domestic animals.

 

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Updated 19 January 2019