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Mugwort

Mugwort

Artemisia vulgaris

Identify the Mugwort from a photo and log your finds with Florapass.

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How common: Very common

Mugwort is a tall, long‑lived herb often seen along roadsides, field edges and other disturbed ground. It has dark reddish stems, deeply cut leaves that are green on top and silvery underneath, and masses of tiny reddish‑brown flowers late in summer. It spreads easily around places where people live and work.

Did you know?

  • Its pollen is a major cause of hay fever in many countries.
  • Large amounts are poisonous.

About the species

Identification

Perennial, usually 50–150 cm (to 2 m). Stems sturdy, grooved, often dark reddish near the base, branching from low down. Leaves are deeply cut into many narrow, pointed pieces; top side green, underside pale and hairy so it looks silvery. Lower leaves have short stalks, upper ones hug the stem. Rubbed, the plant has a mild spicy smell. In late summer it carries tall, narrow, many‑branched clusters packed with tiny reddish‑brown flower heads; they are wind‑pollinated and not showy. Easy check: turn a leaf—mugwort is white underneath; similar‑looking ragweed is green on both sides. Flowers in Finland from August to October.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

yards and roadsides

Toxicity

A poisonous plant – do not taste it. Source: HUS Poison Information Centre (Finland), tel. 0800 147 111.

Flowering

Aug–Oct

About the habitat

Grows on disturbed, nutrient‑rich ground: roadsides, railways, field margins, yards, waste places and shores; often near settlements. Common in most of the country; rarer in Lapland, and only occasional in the far north.

Sources

Photo: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ArtemisiaVulgaris.jpg

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki leviäimet, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39835

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki versot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39835

Text: Pinkka: Yläkoulun Pinkka - Kulttuuriympäristöt, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39835

Text: Pinkka: Laaja maatalouslajintuntemus 4 op - Koppisiemeniset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39835

Text: Pinkka: Ålandsexkursion, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39835

Text: Pinkka: A Pohjolan kasveja - Abies-Allium, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39835

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pujo

See also