silver wormwood

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Louisiana sagewort
• Louisiana wormwood
• prairie sage
• silver sage
• silver wormwood
• western mugwort
• white sage
• white sagebrush
• Louisiana-sage
• cudweed
• prairie-sage
• western-sage
• white-sage

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Artemisia vulgaris var. ludoviciana
• Artemisia vulgaris subsp. ludoviciana

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Asterales, it is classified under the family Asteraceae. Finally, its specific taxonomic placement is within the genus Artemisia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution spanning both Europe and North America. In Middle Europe, its presence is noted within Germany as well as the region of Czechia-Slovakia. Moving toward Eastern Europe, the species can also be found throughout the Baltic States. The distribution extends across the Atlantic to Western Canada, specifically within the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Consequently, these diverse locations highlight the wide-ranging natural habitat of Artemisia ludovicianana.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Artemisia ludoviciana is characterized by its status as a perennial species, allowing it to persist in its environment over multiple growing seasons. As a perennial plant, it establishes a robust root system that enables it to survive periods of dormancy and re-emerge annually to complete its reproductive cycle. Its development typically involves a period of vegetative growth where it builds energy reserves, followed by a reproductive phase where it produces flowering structures. Because it is not limited to a single season of life like annuals or the two-year cycle of biennials, it can maintain a stable presence within its ecological niche, often forming dense colonies through vegetative spread or seed dispersal.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Artemisia ludoviciana is characterized by a growth form that functions as both a shrub and a subshrub, exhibiting a non-woody structure. This plant is a self-supporting species, meaning it does not require external support to grow, and it functions as an independent organism rather than a parasite. It is a terrestrial plant, typically reaching a mean height of approximately 0.91 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Growth form :

shrub

Growth form :

subshrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

0.91 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Artemia ludoviciana is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its metabolic processes and carbon fixation efficiency. As a C3 plant, it utilizes the enzyme Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide directly into a three-carbon compound during the Calvin cycle. This metabolic strategy makes the plant particularly sensitive to photorespiration, especially under conditions of high temperature or water stress, where the oxygenase activity of RuBisCO increases. To mitigate these physiological stresses, the plant employs various adaptive mechanisms, including the production of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids and essential oils, which play crucial roles in protecting cellular structures from oxidative stress and regulating transpiration. Its physiological framework is finely tuned to its environmental niche, balancing gas exchange and water-use efficiency through stomatal regulation to maintain metabolic homeostasis within its specific ecological habitat.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Artemisia ludoviciana is characterized by a specific seasonal flowering window and the production of specialized seeds. The flowering period typically commences in June and concludes in August, providing a defined timeframe for pollination. Following successful fertilization, the plant produces dry fruits containing seeds that exhibit highly consistent physical dimensions. The seeds maintain a uniform volume of 0.12 mm³, with both the minimum and maximum recorded values resting at this same measurement. In terms of weight, the seed mass is relatively light and variable, with a mean mass of 0.000182525 g, a minimum mass of 0.00014 g, and a maximum mass of 0.00026 g.

Flowering time :

Jun

Flowering time :

Aug

Fruit dryness :

dry

Seed mass max:

0.00026 g

Seed mass mean:

0.000182525 g

Seed mass min:

0.00014 g

Seed volume max:

0.12 mm³

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Artemisia ludoviciana has 3 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, Sesquiterpenes, artemisinin.

Flavonoids

1. BMC plant biology
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Sesquiterpenes

1. BMC plant biology

artemisinin

1. Parassitologia

Activities

Artemisia ludoviciana has 1 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antimicrobial.

Antimicrobial

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Conditions

Artemisia ludoviciana has 9 reported investigations on conditions identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include gastrointestinal disorders, Campylobacter jejuni, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Trichinella spiralis, abdominal pain.

Gastrointestinal disorders

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Campylobacter jejuni

1. Journal of food science

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Trichinella spiralis

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Abdominal pain

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Diarrhea

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Dysentery

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Parasites

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Vomiting

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Preparations

Artemisia ludoviciana has 7 reported preparations identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include extracts, methanol extracts, Extracts, Hexane extracts, aerial parts.

Extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Journal of food science

Methanol extracts

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Extracts

1. Journal of food science

Hexane extracts

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Aerial parts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Ethanolic extracts

1. RSC advances

Infusions

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)