Southernwood

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
Erysiphe artemisiae parasitises Artemisia abrotanum

Foodplant / sap sucker
nymph of Plagiognathus albipennis sensu S. & L. sucks sap of Artemisia abrotanum
Other: major host/prey

Artemisia abrotanum has been widely cultivated in gardens for old-time uses such as a fly and parasite repellent. It has had a renewed popularity in xeriscape gardening; it is drought tolerant and can fill difficult garden spaces (e.g., dry rocky slopes). Reports of naturalization may be exaggerated; it is not known to become weedy in any of its known locations in North America.

Perennials or subshrubs, 50–130(–170) cm (not cespitose), aromatic (roots thick, woody). Stems relatively numerous, erect, brown, branched, (woody, brittle), glabrous or sparsely hairy. Leaves cauline, dark green; blades broadly ovate, (2–)3–6 × 0.02–0.15 cm, 2–3-pinnatifid (lobes linear or filiform), faces sparsely hairy (abaxial) or glabrous (adaxial). Heads (nodding at maturity) in open, widely branched arrays 10–30 × 2–10 cm. Involucres ovoid, (1–)2–3.5 × (1–)2–2.5 mm. Phyllaries oblong-elliptic, sparsely hairy. Florets: pistillate 4–8(–15); bisexual 14–16(–20); corollas yellow, 0.5–1 mm, glandular. Cypselae (light brown) ellipsoid (2–5-angled, flattened, furrowed), 0.5–1 mm, glabrous. 2n = 18.

southernwood

southern wormwood

oldman wormwood

More info for the terms: cypsela, forb, fruit, seed, shrub

Southernwood is an introduced shrub or perennial forb from 1.6 to 6.6 feet (0.5-2.0 m) tall. It is woody at the base and much branched in form [8,9]. The inflorescence is an open panicle with multiple flowerheads. The fruit is a cypsela bearing a tiny seed [9].

Southernwood has a long history of cultivation in the Old World and its region of origin is uncertain. It is thought to be native to the Mediterranean [4,13]. It is an introduced species of minor importance in the United States and southern Canada. It has escaped from cultivation in the Northeast and occurs there sparingly. It is adventive in the Great Plains and the Intermountain region [8,9,13,23].

More info for the terms: root crown, seed, top-kill

Response of southernwood to fire has not been documented in the literature. Since southernwood sprouts from the root crown after top-kill by agents other than fire, it probably sprouts from the root crown after fire has removed topgrowth. Southernwood twigs are killed by freezing temperatures when twigs are not insulated by snow. In spring, southernwood sprouts from the root crown after winter dieback. Southernwood also sprouts from the root crown after heavy browsing. Plummer [15] reported that southernwood is more vigorous when topgrowth is removed regularly.

Southernwood regeneration by seed after fire is probably insignificant.

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

Southernwood occurs on disturbed sites such as roadsides and open fields [8,9,14]. It grows in moderately acid to moderately alkaline soils and tolerates elevations above 10,000 feet (3,050 m) [13,15].

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES29 Sagebrush

FRES36 Mountain grasslands

FRES38 Plains grasslands

Southernwood is probably top-killed by fire.

Southernwood rarely persists after cultivation and is not an important member of plant communities in the United States [14].

More info for the term: shrub

shrub

CT   IL   KS   MA   MN   ME    UT   VT   NS

Southernwood is planted as an ornamental [8,23]. It is used as a medicinal plant for its muscle relaxant properties [2].

Southernwood is moderately palatable to mule deer and other wild ungulates [1,17]. Palatability is good for domestic sheep [17].

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Southernwood flowers in late August or September in the Great Plains, the Midwest and the Northeast [8,9,14]. Seeds usually do not reach maturity. Plants in the Intermountain region rarely flower [15].

More info for the terms: root crown, top-kill

Southernwood probably sprouts from the root crown after top-kill by fire.

More info for the terms: adventitious, fire regime, shrub

tall shrub, adventitious bud/root crown

FIRE REGIMES: Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the term: seed

Southernwood reproduces by seed but is poorly adapted to do so in North America. It flowers late in the growing season and produces few viable seeds. Seedlings are rare [13,15,16,20].

The scientific name of southernwood is Artemisia abrotanum L. [4,8,9,10,23].

More info for the term: reclamation

Southernwood has been used for rehabilitation of rangelands and mine spoils in the Intermountain region. It withstands drought and prolonged freezing temperatures and is recommended for soil stabilization and as a nurse plant [12,16]. Southernwood is established by outplanting of stem cuttings. In the Intermountain region, survivorship of transplants in the first few years after outplanting has been good to excellent [5,17]. Southernwood probably will not persist on reclamation sites due to poor reproduction
(see: REGENERATION).

Artemisia abrotanum L. Sp. PI. 845. 1753
A much branched shrub, 5-10 dm. high; lower leaves petioled, 4-6 cm. long, twice pinnately dissected into linear-filiform divisions, with revolute margins, green, finely puberulent or glabrous above, slightly tomentose beneath; leaves of the inflorescence merely 3-cleft, or simple and linear; heads numerous, nodding, in leafy panicles with racemiform branches; involucre hemispheric, about 3 mm. high and 5 mm. broad; bracts about 15, in 3 series, canescent, arachnoid, those of the outer series linear-lanceolate, nearly as long as the inner ones, the rest equal in length, broadly oval, scarious; ray-flowers about 10; corollas 1.5 mm. long; disk-flowers 15-20; corollas campanulate, nearly 2 mm. long; achenes 1 mm. long, glabrous.
TTB locality: Syria.
Distribution: Cultivated and sparingly established. New Brunswick to Massachusetts, North Carolina, Colorado, and Nebraska; native of southern Europe and the Orient.

Artemisia abrotanum, the southernwood, lad's love, or southern wormwood, is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower family. It is native to Eurasia and Africa but naturalized in scattered locations in North America. Other common names include: old man, boy's love, oldman wormwood, lover's plant, appleringie, garderobe, Our Lord's wood, maid's ruin, garden sagebrush, European sage, sitherwood and lemon plant.

Southernwood has a strong camphor-like odour and was historically used as an air freshener or strewing herb. It forms a small bushy shrub, which is widely cultivated by gardeners. The grey-green leaves are small, narrow and feathery. The small flowers are yellow. It can easily be propagated by cuttings, or by division of the roots.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.