Leaf
Pascal BERGEOT, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris L.
Also known as: Common mugwort
Family: Asteraceae
60 cm to 1.5 m
Waste ground, banks, track edges
Flowering: July – September
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to -15°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Leaf undersides white and felted, in strong contrast with the dark green upper surface. Aromatic foliage from the same genus, Artemisia. Tarragon has narrow, smooth leaves with an aniseed scent, whereas mugwort has more deeply cut leaves, downy beneath, with a more acrid smell.
🍃 Leaves
Deeply cut, dark green above, white and felted beneath
🌸 Flowers
Tiny greenish to reddish flower heads, in long upright spikes
🍎 Fruits
Tiny achenes without a pappus
🪵 Bark
Perennial herbaceous plant with upright stems, often reddish and branched.
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, temperate Asia, North America (introduced); very common in France on waste ground and track edges
🐝 Value for pollinators
Wind-pollinated, of little interest to pollinators, but the foliage hosts several butterfly and moth caterpillars
✂️ Horticultural uses
Little used as an ornamental, sometimes tolerated in a wildflower meadow or natural waste ground
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Avoid ingesting large quantities; contains notably thujone, a compound whose effects depend on the dose.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris
Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
Aromatic foliage from the same genus, Artemisia. Tarragon has narrow, smooth leaves with an aniseed scent, whereas mugwort has more deeply cut leaves, downy beneath, with a more acrid smell.
🌿 Other Asteraceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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