Fringed Wormwood, Prairie sagewort
Artemisia frigida
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae
What it is like
Common names include: Fringed Wormwood, Prairie sagewort, fringed sagewort, fringed sagebrush, arctic sage and pasture sage.
Artemisia frigida is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Dry prairies, plains and rocks to 3300 metres in N. America.
N. America - Minnesota to Saskatchewan, Yukon, Texas and Arizona. N. Asia.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.
Countries/locations it is found in
America, Asia, Canada, China, Europe, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, North America, Russia, Siberia, Tajikistan, Tibet, USA. Native Range: Asia, eastern Europe, North America. The USDA database lists Artemisia frigida (prairie sagewort ) as being native to some of the L48 (Lower 48 States), Canada, and to Alaska.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
The leaves are used by the Hopi Indians as a flavouring for sweet corn.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The leaves are stomachic, 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. A poultice of the chewed leaves is used as a poultice to reduce swellings and the leaves are also placed in the nose to stop nosebleeds. A hot poultice of the leaves has been used to treat toothache. The leaves can be used as a sanitary towel to help reduce skin irritation. They are also drunk as a tea when the woman is menstruating or to treat irregular menstruation. The dried leaves are burnt in a room as a disinfectant. A decoction of the root is used as a stimulant and tonic.
Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
Deodorant: Masks smells. Is this medicinal?
Disinfectant: Used for cleaning wounds.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.
Vermifuge: Expels and kills internal parasites.
Women's complaints: A very vague title, it deals with a miscellany of problems peculiar to the female sex.
Other
Rating: 3
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. Cultivated for its foliage effects, and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Used in landscaping and for erosion control and revegetation of rangeland. It is drought-resistant. Provides shelter for beneficial invertebrates: insects and other arthropods. A specialist nectary plant. Groundcover.
Deodorant: A pleasant smelling plant that is used on the body to mask the human smell.
Disinfectant: Plants used for disinfecting.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.
Repellent: Plants that are said to deter but not necessarily kill various mammals, birds, insects etc.
Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Ground Cover: Ground Cover
How it is grown
Requires a sunny position and a well-drained soil that is not too rich. 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. A very ornamental plant. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread. The root pattern is fibrous dividing into a large number of fine roots.
Propagating it: 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. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Division in spring or autumn.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-10
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Although no reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, skin contact with some members of this genus can cause dermatitis or other allergic reactions in some people.
This plant can be weedy or invasive. Reported weedy in Nebraska and Wyoming, USA
Its other names
Local names
Fringed wormwood, prairie sagewort, Silky wormwood. Fringed Wormwood, fringed sagewort, fringed sagebrush, arctic sage and pasture sage.