Artemisia afra

Description

Artemisia afra grows in clumps, with ridged, woody stems, reaching from 0.5 meters to 2 meters in height. The leaves are dark green, of soft texture, and similar in shape to fern leaves. The undersides of the leaves are a lighter green, and are covered with white bristles. Artemisia afra blossoms in late summer, producing abundant bracts of butter-colored flowers, each approximately 3 to 5 millimeters in diameter. Artemisia afra exudes a pungent, sweet smell when any part of the plant is bruised.

Propagation instructions - cuttings

New plants can be propagated by division or from cuttings that root easily in spring and summer. Artemisia afra needs full sun and heavy pruning in winter to encourage new lush growth in spring. Actively growing in the summer months, it should be able to take quite low temperatures during the winter months. Fast-growing, established shrubs are very tough and will slowly spread to form thicker clumps.

Propagation instructions - seeds

Seed can be sown in spring or summer.

Sources and references

Scientific name

Artemisia afra

Common name(s)

Wormwood

Features

Genus

Artemisia