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- Artemisia carruthii
Artemisia carruthii — Carruth's wormwood
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Facts
In New England, Carruth's wormwood is an occasional invader only in Rhode Island. However, it is native to the southwestern United States, where the Navajo used the ground seeds to make a type of bread.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Rhode Island
- Leaf type
- leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
- Flower type in flower heads
- the flower head has disk flowers only, and lacks the strap-shaped flowers
- Ray flower color
- NA
- Tuft or plume on fruit
-
- NA
- there is no plume, or the plume is made up of scales, awns, a crown, or a rim
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
- Leaf blade length
- 1–30 mm
- Flower head width
- 1.5–3 mm
- Disk flower number
-
- 11-20
- 21-50
- 6-10
-
Flowers
- Bract color
- the bracts are not colored or tinged with pink, red or purple
- Bract cycle number
- there are three or more cycles of bracts
- Bract outer side hair type
- the bracts are hairy on their outer surfaces, with curled, tangled, matted, or woolly hairs
- Bract outer side hairs
- the bracts are hairy on their outer surfaces
- Bract separation
- the bracts appear completely unconnected to one another on all flower heads
- Bract shape
- the main bracts are lanceolate (widest above the base, then taper narrowly towards the tip)
- Bract spines
- the bracts have no spines
- Bract tip color
- the tips are a different color from the center of the bract
- Bracts
- there are at least two distinct forms of bracts in different cycles
- Disk flower color
- yellow
- Disk flower lobe number
- 5
- Disk flower number
-
- 11-20
- 21-50
- 6-10
- Disk flower reproductive parts
-
- the disk flower has both pollen- and seed-producing parts
- the disk flower has either only pollen- or only seed-producing parts
- Disk flower shape
- the disk flower is tube-shaped (cylindrical), or gradually widening like a funnel
- Flower head number
- each flowering stem has four or more flower heads on it
- Flower head outer flowers
- at the outer edge of the flower head, the flowers have no enlarged lobe or strap, and are of similar size as those in the center of the disk
- Flower head platform
- the base has no bristles or papery scales
- Flower head platform surface
- NA
- Flower head position
- some or all the flower heads are grouped in clusters of two or more
- Flower head profile
-
- the disk is flat or nearly flat across the top
- the disk is rounded across the top
- Flower head shape
- the sides of the flower head are roughly parallel, like a cylinder
- Flower head width
- 1.5–3 mm
- Flower type in flower heads
- the flower head has disk flowers only, and lacks the strap-shaped flowers
- Height of flower head base
- 2.5–4.5 mm
- Inflorescence branching (Solidago)
- NA
- Inflorescence shape
- the inflorescence is not flat-topped but appears rounded, with some flower heads distinctly higher than others
- Number of bracts at flower head base
- 2–20
- Ovary attachment
- the ovary is attached at or near the base
- Ovary cross-section
- the ovary has five or more corners in cross-section
- Ovary hair type
- the ovary has no hairs on it
- Ovary hairs
- the ovary has no hairs on it
- Ovary profile
- in profile, the ovary is oblong (roughly rectangular but rounded at the ends)
- Peduncle length
- 2–5 mm
- Ray flower color
- NA
- Ray flower reproductive parts
- the ray flowers have carpels or stamens, but not both
- Ray flowers
- 1-5
- Ray length
- 0 mm
- Reproductive system
- some of the flowers on the plant have only carpels or stamens, while others have both carpels and stamens
- Scale tip
- NA
- Style branch number
- the style has two branches
- Style branches
- the style branch is wider at the tip and has a flattened end, or the style branches are wider at the tips and have flattened ends
- Width of flower head base
- 1.5–3 mm
-
Fruits or seeds
- Number of pappus parts
- NA
- Ovary length in developed fruit
- Up to 0.5 mm
- Seed hair tuft bases
- NA
- Seed hair tuft color
- NA
- Seed hair tuft details
- NA
- Seed hair tuft length
- 0 mm
- Seed hair tuft tips
- NA
- Seed hairs uniform
- NA
- Seed tuft scale number
- 0
- Seed tuft type
- there is no pappus on the ovary
- Top of disk flower ovary
- NA
- Tuft or plume on fruit
-
- NA
- there is no plume, or the plume is made up of scales, awns, a crown, or a rim
-
Glands or sap
- Ovary glands
-
- there are glands on the ovary surface
- there are no visible glands on the ovary
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant has one or more free-standing stems
- Horizontal rooting stem
- there are stolons on some plants
- Plant lifespan
- the plant is perennial, it shows evidence of previous year's leaves, stems or stem bases
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
- Underground organs
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Final leaf segment length (compound lvs only)
- 3–10 mm
- Final leaf segment width (compound lvs only)
- 0.5–1 mm
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
-
- the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade base
-
- the leaf has a distinct petiole
- the leaf has no petiole
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- Leaf blade bloom
- NA
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
- Leaf blade hairs
- the leaf blade has tangled or woolly-looking hairs
- Leaf blade length
- 1–30 mm
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade width
- 5–10 mm
- Leaf disposition
- the leaves are nearly similar in size, prominence of teeth, and length of stalks throughout the stem
- Leaf spines
- there are no spines on the leaf edges
- Leaf tip extension
- NA
- Leaf type
- leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Specific leaf type
-
- the leaf has a row of two or more lobes on each side of the central axis
- the leaf has a row of two or more lobes on each side of the central axis, and each lobe itself has rows of lobes on each side of the lobe's central axis
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Rhode Island
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Scent
- Plant odor
-
- the plant does not have much of an odor
- the plant has a pleasant odor, such as licorice, fruit or resin
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem cross-section
- the flowering stem is circular, or with lots of small angles
- Leaves on stem
- there is at least one full leaf above the base of the flowering stem
- Stem internode hair direction
- the hairs point mostly upwards to outwards
- Stem internode hair type
- at least some of the hairs on the stem are tangled, matted or woolly
- Stem internode hairs
- the stem has hairs between the nodes
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
None
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
6. Artemisia carruthii Wood ex Carruth E
Carruth’s wormwood. Artemisia carruthii Wood ex Carruth var. wrightii (Gray) Blake; A. kansana Britt.; A. vulgaris L. ssp. wrightii (Gray) Hall & Clements • RI. Roadsides, fields, waste areas.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Artemisia vulgaris:
- leaf blades with ultimate segments wider than 2 mm and reproductive stems mostly 6-19 dm tall (vs. A. carruthii, with leaf blades with ultimate segments narrower than 2 mm and reproductive stems mostly 1.5-4 dm tall).
Synonyms
- Artemisia carruthii Wood ex Carruth var. wrightii (Gray) Blake
- Artemisia kansana Britt.
- Artemisia vulgaris L. ssp. wrightii (Gray) Hall & Clements