red-stemmed wormwood

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• red-stemmed wormwood
• yin-chen wormwood
• Oriental wormwood
• Redstem Wormwood

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Artemisia scoparia subsp. villosa
• Artemisia morrisonensis var. minima
• Artemisia capillaris f. elegans
• Artemisia kohatica
• Artemisia capillaris f. kohatica
• Artemisia piperita
• Artemisia scoparioides
• Artemisia capillaris f. villosa
• Artemisia elegans
• Artemisia capillaris f. williamsonii
• Artemisia trichophylla
• Artemisia gracilis
• Artemisia capillaris var. scoparia
• Artemisia capillaris var. grandiflora
• Artemisia scoparia f. sericea
• Artemisia scoparia var. heteromorpha
• Artemisia scopariiformis
• Oligosporus scoparius
• Draconia scoparia
• Artemisia capillaris f. myriocephala
• Artemisia scoparia f. villosa

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. It is further classified under the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Asterales. Finally, it is a member of the family Asteraceae and falls under the genus Artemisia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a widespread presence across various regions of the European continent. In Northern Europe, its distribution includes territories such as Finland and Great Britain. Moving toward Middle Europe, the species can be found growing in Austria and Belgium. Its range further extends into the central region to include Czechia-Slovakia. Together, these locations highlight the diverse geographical footprint of Artemisia scoparia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Artemisia scoparia is characterized by its remarkable adaptability to diverse landscapes and significant altitudinal shifts. It thrives across a wide variety of habitats, including crop fields, deserts, forests, meadows, mountains, old fields, rivers, sandy regions, and steppes. This versatility allows the species to colonize both disturbed human environments and wild, rugged terrains. In terms of vertical distribution, the plant occupies a broad elevational range, spanning from a minimum of 600 m AMSL to a maximum of 3300 m AMSL, with a mean elevational range centered at approximately 2800 m AMSL.

Elevational range max:

3300 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

2800 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

600 m AMSL

Habitat :

crop fields, desert, forest, meadows, mountains, old fields, rivers, sand, steppe

Life history

The life history of Artemisia scoparia is characterized by its classification as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. Its structural growth strategy is defined as a hemicryptophyte, a life form in which the perennating buds are located at the soil surface, protected by accumulated leaf litter or organic matter. This hemicryptophytic nature enables the species to withstand seasonal environmental shifts while maintaining its ability to regenerate from the base of the plant year after year.

Life form :

hemicryptophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Artemisia scoparia is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb and forb. It is a self-supporting plant that does not function as a climber or a parasite, maintaining an independent existence within its habitat. The species is strictly terrestrial, lacking aquatic or epiphytic tendencies. In terms of stature, it is a relatively small plant, with a height that typically ranges from a minimum of 0.3 m to a maximum of 0.7 m, maintaining an average plant height of approximately 0.45 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

0.7 m

Plant height mean:

0.45 m

Plant height min:

0.3 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Artemisia scoparia is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and metabolic efficiency under typical environmental conditions. Structurally, the plant exhibits specialized leaf morphology, featuring a dissected leaf margin that increases the surface area-to-volume ratio, potentially aiding in gas exchange and thermoregulation. Furthermore, the plant lacks any defensive morphological structures on its foliage, as it possesses no leaf thorns and no leaf spines, indicating a physiological investment in chemical rather than mechanical defense mechanisms.

Leaf margin :

dissected

Leaf spines :

no

Leaf thorns :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Artemisia scoparia is characterized by a specific seasonal flowering cycle and specialized biological mechanisms. The plant enters its flowering phase in August and concludes its blooming period within the same month. Its pollination strategy is classified as biotic, specifically utilizing an insect pollination syndrome to facilitate fertilization. Furthermore, the species is capable of self-fertilization, ensuring reproductive success even under varying environmental conditions. The resulting seeds are uniform in size, with a recorded mean, minimum, and maximum mass of 0.03541 g. Following maturation, the plant employs an anemochorous dispersal syndrome, relying on wind to transport its seeds to new locations for colonization.

Dispersal syndrome :

anemochorous

Flowering time :

Aug

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Seed mass mean:

0.03541 g

Self fertilization :

present

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Artemisia scoparia has 2 reported plant parts identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include flower, leaf.

Flower

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Leaf

1. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine

Chemicals

Artemisia scoparia has 50 reported phytochemicals identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include CHLOROGENIC ACID, 6,7-DIMETHOXYCOUMARIN, Scoparone, Flavonoids, artemisinin.

CHLOROGENIC ACID

1. Frontiers in nutrition
2. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry
3. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
4. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
5. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

6,7-DIMETHOXYCOUMARIN

1. Pharmacognosy magazine
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. General pharmacology

Scoparone

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
2. General pharmacology
3. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences

Flavonoids

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

artemisinin

1. Veterinary parasitology
2. Heliyon

3,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid

1. Frontiers in nutrition

5,7,2',4'-Tetrahydroxy-6,5'-dimethoxyflavone

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

5b-Cyprinol sulfate

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

6-Demethoxycapillarisin

1. Frontiers in nutrition

6-demethylcapillarisin

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Activities

Artemisia scoparia has 7 reported activities identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Allergenic, Antiatherogenic, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Antiproliferative.

Allergenic

1. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology

Antiatherogenic

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antibacterial

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Anticancer

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antiproliferative

1. BMC complementary medicine and therapies

Antiviral

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Neuroprotective

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Medicinal Uses

Artemisia scoparia has 28 reported medicinal uses identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include oxidative stress, cancer, fever, inflammation, liver diseases.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations