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- Artemisia pontica
Artemisia pontica — Roman wormwood
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Facts
Roman wormwood, with its finely-dissected gray leaves, is a popular garden plant, but can escape locally from gardens. It is one of several plants used in the production of absinthe.
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.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- 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 tubular disk flowers in the center and ray flowers, these often strap-shaped, around the periphery
- Ray flower color
- NA
- Tuft or plume on fruit
- NA
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
- Leaf blade length
- 10–50 mm
- Flower head width
- 1.5–3 mm
- Disk flower number
- 21-50
-
Flowers
- Bases of bract appendages
- NA
- 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 oblong (roughly rectangular but rounded at the ends)
- the main bracts are ovate (egg-shaped)
- Bract spines
- the bracts have no spines
- Bract tip color
- the tips are a different color from the center of the bract
- Bract tip shape
- the tips of the bracts are obtuse (have a blunt point)
- Bracts
- the bracts in separate cycles are similar or gradually changing from the outer to inner cycles
- Disk flower color
- yellow
- Disk flower lobe number
- 5
- Disk flower number
- 21-50
- Disk flower reproductive parts
- the disk flower has both pollen- and 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
- NA
- Flower head width
- 1.5–3 mm
- Flower type in flower heads
- the flower head has tubular disk flowers in the center and ray flowers, these often strap-shaped, around the periphery
- Height of flower head base
- 2–4 mm
- Inflorescence branching (Solidago)
- NA
- Inflorescence shape
- the inflorescence is not flat-topped but appears rounded, with some flower heads distinctly higher than others
- Inflorescence stem
- hairs are present on the stem of the inflorescence
- 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 roughly egg-shaped, but widest above the middle
- Ray flower color
- NA
- Ray flower reproductive parts
- the ray flowers have carpels or stamens, but not both
- Ray flowers
-
- 11-15
- 6-10
- 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
- 2–4 mm
-
Fruits or seeds
- Number of pappus parts
- 0
- Ovary length in developed fruit
- 0.1–0.2 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
-
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
- NA
- 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 caudex (the root mass is firm and hardened at the top)
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Final leaf segment width (compound lvs only)
- 0.5–1.5 mm
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
- the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
-
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- 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 truncate (ends abruptly in a more or less straight line as though cut off)
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
- 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
- 10–50 mm
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is triangular, with the stalk or attachment point on one of the sides
- Leaf blade surface colors
- there is no noticeable color variation on the upper surface of the leaf
- Leaf blade tip
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- Leaf blade width
- 10–30 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 stalk
-
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- the leaves have no leaf stalks, but attach directly to the stem
- Leaf stalk length
- At least 0 mm
- 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, and each lobe itself has rows of lobes on each side of the lobe's central axis
- the leaf has lobes that themselves have lobes, and these secondary lobes also have lobes; there may be more than three levels of lobes
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- 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
-
- the hairs on the stem are plain, without glands or branches, and not tangled
- the stem has no hairs between the nodes
- Stem internode hairs
-
- the stem has hairs between the nodes
- the stem has no hairs between the nodes
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
10. Artemisia pontica L. E
Roman wormwood. CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Roadsides, fields, railroads.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Artemisia abrotanum:
- leaf blades 3-6 cm long, thinly tomentose only on the abaxial surface, the adaxial surface glabrous, and plants 5-20 dm tall (vs. A. pontica, with leaf blades 1-3 cm long, tomentose on both surfaces, and plants 4-10 dm tall).