Silver Wormwood

Biological Name:

Artemisia sericea (Silver-Wormwood)

Natural Habitat:

Silver-Wormwood: Fields and meadows, North America

Description:

Silver-Wormwood also known as Artemisia is a plant that is native to grassland and prairie regions of North America. It is a perennial herb that can grow up to three feet tall and it has narrow elongated leaves and small inconspicuous flowers that are typically green or yellow in color. The plant is known for its silver-colored foliage and it is often used as an ornamental plant in gardens and landscapes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Does silver mound wormwood spread?
A: Of the Asteraceae family, the silver mound Artemisia is the only member with a prostrate, spreading habit. Unlike others of the species, the silver mound plant is not invasive.
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Q: Do you cut back silver mound in the fall?
A: Prune the plants back to 5 to 6 inches in early spring or late fall.
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Q: How do you prepare a silver mound for winter?
A: Overwintering. While ‘Silver Mound’ will die back naturally once the severe chill of winter hits, it’s best to protect the plant by pruning it down to 4 inches or so before freezing temperatures set in. In the coldest areas, cover the pruned plant with a few inches of mulch for extra protection.
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Q: Is silver mound Artemisia toxic to dogs?
A: Most varieties of artemisia are safe for pets, with the exception of French tarragon (A. dracunculus), which is toxic to dogs and cats.
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Q: Do you cut back Artemisia in winter?
A: Shrubby perennials, like Butterfly Bush, Caryopteris, Lavender, Russian Sage, and Artemisia should have their stems cut back just before growth begins (mid-March). Cutting back before winter exposes plants to unnecessary winter damage. The old stems provide protection for next year’s buds.
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Q: Should Artemisia be cut back?
A: Prune in spring after buds begin to break to control height and spread. Cutting back into old wood that has no live buds can kill plants. Plants often do not flower. If they do, pinch off buds before they open.
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Q: Is Artemisia poisonous to humans?
A: Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is an herb used in the alcoholic drinks vermouth and absinthe. Its oil contains the chemical thujone, which may be poisonous. The thujone in wormwood oil excites the central nervous system and can cause seizures and other adverse effects.
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Q: What does wormwood plant symbolize?
A: The bitter flavor of wormwood has long been symbolic of regret, judgment, and doom. In the Bible, a close relative of wormwood (Artemisia herba-alba) was used to symbolize the judgment of God.
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Q: Does wormwood get you high?
A: Absinthe will not make you hallucinate. There is a chemical found in wormwood—absinthe’s primary flavoring—called thujone that’s known to be a convulsant at extremely high doses. But in order to get to that point, you’d have to drink so much alcohol that you’d be dead-drunk before you felt any effects.
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Q: Does wormwood have healing properties?
A: It may have medicinal properties. However, its active ingredient, thujone, is toxic and can pose a health risk if people take it long term or have a health condition.
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Q: How does wormwood heal?
A: Wormwood can also fertilize himself with Fertilizers. It gains instant heal based on Manure Nutrient value, it gains heal over time based on Compost nutrient value.
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Q: Is wormwood plant invasive?
A: Absinth wormwood (absinthium, common wormwood) is an invasive herbaceous perennial plant that can grow up to 5 ft. (1.5 m) tall. It has many branching stems arising from a woody base.
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Q: Who should not use wormwood?
A: You shouldn’t take wormwood if you’re pregnant, as it may cause miscarriage ( 23 ). Breastfeeding and early childhood. Women who are breastfeeding and children should avoid this herb due to a lack of safety information.
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Q: What does wormwood do to humans?
A: Traditionally, wormwood is regarded as a useful remedy for liver and gallbladder problems. Wormwood contains strong bitter agents known as absinthin and anabsinthin, which stimulate digestive and gallbladder function. Wormwood is believed to stimulate digestion and relieve spasms in the intestinal tract.
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Q: Is wormwood good for a garden?
A: Benefits of Wormwood All forms are hardy plants and are heat and wind tolerant, require minimal pruning and will happily thrive in poor soils as long as there is good drainage. It is also drought and frost tolerant. It is great in rockeries, as a low hedge, or as a border plant in an ornamental garden.
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Q: What does wormwood get rid of?
A: Wormwood is used to eliminate intestinal worms, including pinworms, roundworms and tapeworms. Pinworms are the most common worm infection in the U.S. with pinworm eggs spread directly from person to person.
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Q: Does wormwood keep pests away?
A: Wormwood’s natural harsh taste and strong odor tend to repel certain insect pests. It will also turn off nibbling pests such as deer, rabbits, and other animals. Using wormwood as a companion can repel fleas and flies as well as certain in ground larvae.
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Q: Are wormwood plants poisonous to dogs?
A: Wormwood: Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? ‘A safe natural remedy for heartworm’. The trouble is, at a dose high enough to kill worms, wormwood is toxic to dogs, and at too low a dose, it is ineffective against worms.
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Q: What is white sagebrush used for?
A: Native Americans use it as well as other species of Artemisia extensively in medicine (headache, fever, cough, cold, and flu, for example) and religious rites. exicans use it to cure various digestive and other internal ailments. In many places, it is grown as a medicinal and ornamental potherb.
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Q: Is wormwood and sagebrush the same?
A: Plants in the genus Artemisia are native to the Northern Hemisphere and are commonly called wormwood, mugwort, and sagebrush.
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Q: Why is sagebrush essential for humans?
A: Humans also benefit from sagebrush because, like many plants, it helps scrub carbon from the atmosphere. And there’s not just one species of sagebrush. “In Colorado alone, we have about 20 species of sagebrush,” Tarantino said.
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Q: Is silver sagebrush edible?
A: Sagebrush can be used in preparing a lot of dishes. These dishes may include drinks such as those which various fruits in them. Mostly cocktails are made with the help of sage brush as a good additive in the form of a flavor booster.
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Q: What did Native Americans use sagebrush for?
A: Native Americans of the high desert West have used sagebrush for thousands of years for medicine, ceremony, fiber, dye, and more. Many tribes traditionally used sagebrush as a medicine to treat a variety of ailments including as a tea for stopping internal bleeding, treating headaches and colds.
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Q: Is there a difference between sage and sagebrush?
A: It’s not a sage. In this case sage, or Salvia, is an herb used as a spice and for its medicinal properties, and it’s a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae, to botanists). But sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata, is in another family altogether, the sunflower family (Asteraceae).
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About the author

Samuel is a gardening professional and enthusiast who has spent over 20 years advising homeowners and farm owners on weed identification, prevention and removal. He has an undergraduate degree in plant and soil science from Michigan State University.