Common Name: Fringed Wormwood

General Information

Artemisia frigida is a strongly aromatic, herbaceous, mat-forming perennial plant with stems that can become more or less woody and persist. It produces one to several unbranched to shortly-branched stems 10 - 60cm tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials. A very ornamental plant, valued for its attractive, fine, silvery-green foliage; it is often grown in gardens, especially in drier regions[, ].

Known Hazards

Although we have seen no specific reports for this species, many members of this genus contain potentially allergenic sesquiterpene lactones that can cause skin reactions[].

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Northern Eurasia - European Russia to eastern Sibeia; Kazakhstan. Mongolia, northern China; N. America - Alaska to Manitoba, south to Arizona, Texas

Habitat

Fields, meadows, dry grasslands, steppes, usually stony, well-drained soils; at elevations from 500 - 3,300 metres in N. America[, , ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position and a well-drained soil that is not too rich, growing best on loams and poorly on clays[, , ]. Excellent soil drainage is essential for growing this plant well- it does poorly in moist to wet soils where plants are susceptible to root rot[]. Requires a lime-free soil. Established plants are very drought tolerant[]. Plants are longer lived, more hardy and more aromatic when they are grown in a poor dry soil[].
Plants typically develop deep taproots in dry soils, but often develop much shallower root systems if grown in moist soils[].
Plants respond well to light pruning, but do not sprout backvery well from old wood[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

The leaves are used by the Hopi Indians as a flavouring for sweet corn[, , , , ].

Medicinal

The leaves are stomachic, tonic, vermifuge and used in the treatment of women's complaints[, ]. The plant contains camphor, which is stimulant and antispasmodic[]. An infusion of the leaves is used in the treatment of biliousness, indigestion, coughs and colds whilst the leaves are chewed and the juice swallowed to treat heartburn[]. An infusion of the leaves is drunk every month to stimulate normal menstruation, whilst it is also drunk to treat irregular menstruation[].
The chewed leaves are used as a poultice to reduce swellings and the leaves are also placed in the nose to stop nosebleeds[]. The leaves are mixed with spruce pitch and applied as a poultice to wounds[]. A hot poultice of the leaves has been used to treat toothache[]. The boiled leaves and stems are used for bathing sore or painful feet[]. The steam from a steam bath is inhaled to relieve congestion, whilst steam baths are also used to soothe varicose veins[].
The leaves can be used as a sanitary towel to help reduce skin irritation[].
The dried leaves are burnt in a room as a disinfectant[].

A decoction of the root is used as a stimulant and tonic[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant produces a tufted, low-spreading mat of growth and can be used as a ground cover in sunny positions in dry soils[].
The plant is often considered to be an indication of over-grazed land; and may also have potential as as a biogeochemical indicator species for base-metal deposits in Precambrian rocks in west-central Colorado, where the chemical composition of fringed sagebrush may mirror the composition of the soil where it grows[]

Other Uses

Both the growing and the dried plant can be used as an insect repellent[]. The leaves can be placed on a camp fire to repel mosquitoes[].

The aromatic leaves have been used in pillows etc as a deodorant[].

Bunches of the soft leaves have been used as towels, toilet paper etc[].

A green dye is obtained from the leaves[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow from late winter to early summer in a greenhouse in a very free-draining soil, but make sure that the compost does not dry out. The seed usually germinates within 1 - 2 weeks in a warm greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer.
The seed can remain viable in the soil for many years, stimulated into germination by fire, disturbance of the soil that brings them closer to the surface and by rain[].1050].
Layering
Division in spring or autumn[].