Russian wormwood
Artemisia gmelinii

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

A shrub. It grows 50-100 cm high. It has several upright stems. It has woody rhizomes that can be hairy. The leaves in the middle of the stem are oval or triangle shaped and 2-10 cm long by 2-8 cm wide. They are divided 2 or 3 times. There are 3-5 pairs of segments.

There are about 300 Artemisia species.

Where it is found

It is a cool temperate plant. It grows in hills, steppe, semi-desert steppe, meadows, rocky slopes, scrub, dry floodlands, wastelands between 1500-4900 m altitude in China.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Afghanistan, Central Asia, China, E Europe, Himalayas, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Siberia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

How it is used for food

The leaves and flowers are mixed with wheat flour and water to prepare ferments.

Edible parts

Leaves, spice, flowers

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Burmack, Burnak, Bu tse, Chumbar, Jan, Mkhan pa, Munya, Tatwan

Synonyms

Artemisia gmelinii Weber ex Stechmann var. biebersteiniana Besser; Artemisia gmelinii var. discolor (Komarov) Nakai; Artemisia gmelinii var. legitima Besser; Artemisia santolinifolia Turczaninow ex Besser; Artemisia sacrorum Ledebour var. minor Ledebour; Artemisia sacrorum var. santolinifolia (Turczaninow ex Besser) Pampanini; Artemisia stechmanniana Besser, p.p.; Artemisia turczaninoviana Besser, p.p.; Artemisia vestita Wallich ex Besser var. discolor (Komarov) Kitagawa.;