Artemisia integrifolia Seeds | Entire-leaved Mugwort
LATIN NAME: Artemisia integrifolia
COMMON NAME: Entire-Leaved Mugwort
Plant Profile
Artemisia integrifolia, commonly known as Entire-Leaved Mugwort, is a species with a long record in gardens. The flowering period doubles as a feeding season for bees and other pollinators. It is hard to name another plant that gives this much for this little trouble.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Artemisia integrifolia ranges from the botany of the Artemisia group to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Entire-leaved mugwort’s unusually simple, undivided leaf form within a genus otherwise known for finely dissected foliage has made it a useful comparative subject in botanical research examining leaf-shape diversity and evolution across the Artemisia genus. Nothing exotic is required: standard seed-sowing practice, done carefully, is enough.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Entire-Leaved Mugwort for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Within its native range, entire-leaved mugwort contributes to regional cold-temperate plant communities, and like several of its Artemisia relatives it has some traditional regional use reflecting wider genus’s association with folk herbal practice. It remains primarily of interest to botanists and Artemisia enthusiasts drawn to its distinctively simple foliage within an otherwise finely divided genus. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
Artemisia is the genus that gave the world artemisinin, the Nobel-winning antimalarial from Artemisia annua, Qing Hao. Across the genus, from mugwort to wormwood to tarragon, aromatic terpenes underpin traditional uses for digestion, fever and women’s health, though thujone-rich species like wormwood demand moderation.
Growing from Seed
Entire-Leaved Mugwort grows readily from seed. Sow fine seed onto surface of a loose, well-drained mix without covering it deeply, keeping medium consistently moist. Full sun to light shade suits this cold-hardy perennial well, and it typically establishes readily under ordinary temperate garden conditions. Use a loose, well-drained seed compost, sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly, and keep everything evenly moist in full sun. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Within its genus it stands out for garden reliability. Its role in herbal practice, noted above, adds depth to an already garden-worthy plant. From then on, routine care is all that is required.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Entire-Leaved Mugwort often pair it with these related subjects: