Artemisia absinthium, absinthium
Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Artemisia absinthium, absinthium. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/artabs
| Abbreviation | Common Name | Scientific Name | Classification | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plants | ||||
| ARTABS | absinthium | Artemisia absinthium | Life Form: Plants/Forb, Plants/Subshrub Kingdom: Plantae Class: Dicot Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Genus: Artemisia | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Nonnative Invasiveness: Invasive |
Taxonomy
The scientific name of absinthium is Artemisia absinthium L. (Asteraceae) [2,6,7,27]. Most North American authors do not recognize varieties of absinthium. However, Boivin [2] has classified plants in Canada as insipid wormwood (A. a. var. insipida Stechmann).
Absinthium.
Synonyms
- No entry
Other Common Names
absinth wormwood, common wormwood, wormwood sage
General Distribution
Absinthium, native to Europe, was introduced to North America in 1841 [15]. It is now naturalized across the northern United States and in Canada. It occurs from Nova Scotia west to British Columbia; south to Oregon and Utah; and east through Colorado and Nebraska to Virginia [3,6,7,17,27].
States and Provinces
- United States: CO CT DE ID IL IN IA ME MD MA MI MN MT NE NH NJ NY ND OH OR PA RI SD UT VT VA WA WI WY
- Canada: AB BC MB NB NS ON PE PQ SK
Site Characteristics
Absinthium grows on disturbed sites such as along fencelines and roadsides, on borrow pits and gravel piles, and on overgrazed pastures and fields recently abandoned from cultivation [15].
Absinthium growing in Otter Tail County, Minnesota (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Absinthium grows on a variety of soils from gravels to clay loams [15]. It grows on gravelly soils in Glacier National Park [13], and on a cobble-gravel substratum on the upstream portion of Columbia River islands where sand is washed away each spring during high water [8].
Absinthium grows best in moist habitats. During drought it dies out on coarse, gravelly soils but survives in ravines and on north-facing slopes [15,18].
Absinthium occurs from 5,000 to 7,000 feet (1,500-2,100 m) elevation in Colorado [28].
Plant Communities
Absinthium primarily grows on disturbed sites within grasslands, pastures, perennial crops, and on land abandoned from cultivation [18].
In Glacier National Park, absinthium was found growing with orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) and mountain hollyhock (Iliamna rivularis). On a disturbed site in West Glacier, Montana, absinth wormwood occurs with creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) and yellow sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis) [13].
The upstream portion of islands in the Columbia River is dominated by lupine (Lupinus spp.), arrowleaf buckwheat (Eriogonum compositum), and absinthium [9].
Absinthium occurs with western snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) in moist ravines in Saskatchewan [18].
Botanical Description
Absinthium is a nonnative, long-lived, fragrant, perennial herb that grows each year from a woody base. An individual plant has 20 or more stems each growing 1.3 to 4.9 feet (0.4-1.5 m) tall. The fruit is a cypsela without a pappus. The well-developed root system consists of a taproot occasionally reaching 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter with shallow lateral branches extending 6 feet in all directions [18]. Absinth wormwood may be weakly rhizomatous [14,27]. The roots lack the interxylary bark of some Artemisia spp. which protects the roots from desiccation [15].
Absinthium growing in Alberta, Canada.
Raunkiaer Life Form (Raunkiaer 1934)
- Hemicryptophyte
Seasonal Development
Absinthium growth begins in early spring and flowerstalks are produced by mid-July [15]. Absinthium flowers July through September [3,15,28]. In North Dakota, absinthium began flowering the second week of August [22]. Seeds mature in early fall. Seedlings emerge from early spring to August whenever moisture and warmth are available. Rosettes form by the end of the first growing season [15].
Regeneration Processes
Absinthium reproduces primarily by seed and is a prolific seed producer [15,18,24]. Although the small seeds do not have any specific morphological provision for dispersal, they are easily scattered in hay and by wind, water, and animals. The seeds retain their viability for 3 to 4 years [15]. Viable absinthium seeds have been found in the soil of undisturbed prairie grasslands in North Dakota [11].
Germination rates were measured under various pretreatment and photoperiod conditions. Germination was best on moist soils. It occurred over a wide range of temperatures between 41 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit (5-40 deg C) [15].
Absinthium invades extreme northern environments during warm periods but may not reproduce successfully. Absinthium was present in northeastern Manitoba in 1989 but had not produced seeds when observed in late summer [20].
Maw and others [15] and Staniforth and Scott [20] did not find any evidence of vegetative reproduction by absinthium. However, Selleck and Coupland [18] suggested that absinthium may regenerate from shallow lateral root branches when plowed. Welsh and others [27] reported that absinthium has a rhizomatous caudex, and Lym and others [14] stated that absinthium may spread by rootstock.
Successional Status
Absinthium colonizes open, disturbed sites. Establishment is minimal where there is a closed grass stand [15]. Absinthium seedlings which germinated in an ungrazed stand of needle-and-thread grass did not survive [18].
Absinthe wormwood tolerates some shade [15]. It was found growing vigorously within a tree plantation with approximately 60 percent crown cover [18].
Immediate Fire Effects
Low-severity fire readily top-kills absinthium and may completely kill some plants. Because absinthium perennating buds are at or near the soil surface, they are susceptible to fire [21].
Postfire Regeneration Strategy (Stickney 1989)
- Caudex, growing points in soil
- Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
Fire Adaptations
Although top-killed by fire, absinthium probably reestablishes after fire by sprouting from undamaged perennating buds [21] or regenerating from buried seed.
Plant Response to Fire
Absinthium perennating buds will sprout if they survive fire. Annual early spring prescribed fires were conducted in a South Dakota prairie infested with absinthium. Dormant fine fuels ranged from 2,000 to 2,400 kilograms per hectare. Nearly two-thirds of the absinth wormwood survived the first fire and regrew, but four consecutive annual spring fires reduced absinthium by 96 percent [21].
Fire Regimes
For fire regime information, search FEIS for this species by entering the species name on the Advanced Search page and selecting “Fire Regime” as the publication type.
Fire Management Considerations
Spring fire can reduce absinthium on northern mixed prairie sites during years with adequate fuel. However, abundant green herbaceous material can reduce fire severity during the spring and thus reduce fire damage to absinthium [21].
Federal Status
None
Other Status
No entry.
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock
Canada geese use absinthium for nesting cover on Columbia River islands but prefer lupine and willow (Salix spp.) [9].
Palatability and Nutritional Value
Absinthium is unpalatable to fairly palatable to cattle [15,28]. Palatability is listed as poor for horses and good for sheep [28].
Absinthium energy and protein values are listed as fair [28].
Cover Value
No entry.
Value for Rehabilitation or Restoration of Disturbed Sites
No entry.
Other Uses
Absinthium is a medicinal herb often planted in gardens. Absinthal, a volatile oil produced from absinthium flowerheads, was used in French liquors until prohibited in 1915 because of its toxic and addictive effects [8].
Other Management Considerations
Absinthium is considered a weed in pastureland, cropland, and rangeland in the northern Great Plains [14,15]. Although it spreads rapidly on disturbed sites, it is easily controlled by herbicides and/or vigorous competition from grasses [14]. Picloram provides the most rapid and complete control of absinthium, but dicamba, 2,4-D, and glyphosate are also effective. Application techniques are described [14,15].
Absinthium, which contains the sesquiterpene lactone absinthin, can be toxic to other plants in its vicinity. Studies of its effect on the germination of other plants are inconclusive [15]. Although absinth wormwood leaf extracts inhibited the germination of needle-and-thread grass (Hesperostipa comata), they stimulated the germination of green needlegrass (S. viridula) [10].
Absinthium taints milk when eaten by cows [14].
Table A1— Forest and range ecosystems, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society for American Foresters (SAF) forest cover types, and Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) rangeland cover types in which this species occurs.
Forest and Range Ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977)
- FRES10 White - red - jack pine
- FRES11 Spruce - fir
- FRES15 Oak - hickory
- FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
- FRES18 Maple - beech - birch
- FRES19 Aspen - birch
- FRES20 Douglas-fir
- FRES21 Ponderosa pine
- FRES22 Western white pine
- FRES23 Fir - spruce
- FRES25 Larch
- FRES26 Lodgepole pine
- FRES29 Sagebrush
- FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
- FRES36 Mountain grasslands
- FRES37 Mountain meadows
- FRES38 Plains grasslands
- FRES39 Prairie
BLM Physiographic Regions (Bernard and Brown 1977)
- 1 Northern Pacific Border
- 2 Cascade Mountains
- 5 Columbia Plateau
- 8 Northern Rocky Mountains
- 9 Middle Rocky Mountains
- 10 Wyoming Basin
- 11 Southern Rocky Mountains
- 12 Colorado Plateau
- 13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
- 14 Great Plains
- 15 Black Hills Uplift
- 16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
Kuchler Plant Associations (Kuchler 1964)
- No entry
SAF Cover Types (Eyre 1980)
- No entry
SRM Rangeland Cover Types (Shiflet 1994)
- No entry
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2. Boivin, Bernard. 1972. The flora of the Prairie Provinces: Part III (continued). Phytologia. 23(1): 1-140. [23836]
3. Cronquist, Arthur. 1955. Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest: Part 5: Compositae. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 343 p. [716]
4. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
5. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others]. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
6. Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 2nd ed. New York: New York Botanical Garden. 910 p. [20329]
7. Great Plains Flora Association. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. 1392 p. [1603]
8. Hammond, Catherine R. 1976. A gallery of herbs: A botanical guide to some common and uncommon herbs. Horticulture. 54(3): 52-63. [3025]
9. Hanson, W. C.; Eberhardt, L. L. 1971. A Columbia River Canada goose population, 1950-1970. Wildlife Monographs No. 28. Washington, DC: The Wildlife Society. 61 p. [18164]
10. Hoffman, G. R.; Hazlett, D. L. 1977. Effects of aqueous Artemisia extracts and volatile substances on germination of selected species. Journal of Range Management. 30(2): 134-137. [23850]
11. Iverson, Louis R.; Wali, Mohan K. 1982. Buried, viable seeds and their relation to revegetation after surface mining. Journal of Range Management. 35(5): 648-652. [23855]
12. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
13. Lesica, Peter; Ahlenslager, Kathleen; Desanto, Jerry. 1993. New vascular plant record and the increase of exotic plants in Glacier National Park, Montana. Madrono. 40(2): 126-131. [21049]
14. Lym, Rodney G.; Messersmith, Calvin G.; Dexter, Alan G. 1984. Absinth wormwood control. W-838. Fargo, ND: North Dakota State University, Cooperative Extension Service. 2 p. In cooperation with: U.S. Department of Agriculture. [23854]
15. Maw, M. G.; Thomas, A. G.; Stahevitch, A. 1985. The biology of Canadian weeds. 66. Artemisia absinthium L. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 65(2): 389-400. [23853]
16. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
17. Roland, A. E.; Smith, E. C. 1969. The flora of Nova Scotia. Halifax, NS: Nova Scotia Museum. 746 p. [13158]
18. Selleck, G. W.; Coupland, R. T. 1961. Studies in the life history of Artemisia absinthium. Weeds. 9: 485-490. [23852]
19. Shaw, N. 1984. Producing bareroot seedlings of native shrubs. In: Murphy, P. M., compiler. The challenge of producing native plants for the Intermountain area: Proceedings, Intermountain Nurseryman's Association conference; 1983 August 8-11; Las Vegas, NV. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-168. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station: 6-15. [6850]
20. Staniforth, Richard J.; Scott, Peter A. 1991. Dynamics of weed populations in a northern subarctic community. Canadian Journal of Botany. 69: 814-821. [14944]
21. Steuter, Allen A; Plumb, Glenn. 1988. Wormwood sage controlled by spring fires (South Dakota). Restoration & Management Notes. 6(1): 35. [69]
22. Stevens, O. A. 1956. Flowering dates of weeds in North Dakota. North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Bimonthly Bulletin. 18(6): 209-213. [5168]
23. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
24. Thomas, A. G. 1991. Floristic composition and relative abundance of weeds in annual crops of Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 71(3): 831-839. [21786]
25. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1994. Plants of the U.S.--alphabetical listing. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 954 p. [23104]
26. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Biological Survey. [n.d.]. NP Flora [Data base]. Davis, CA: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Biological Survey. [23119]
27. Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry C., eds. 1987. A Utah flora. Great Basin Naturalist Memoir No. 9. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University. 894 p. [2944]
28. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]