Additional notes (click to expand)

Commemorative

Artemisia: after the Greek goddess Artemis who so benefitted from a plant of this family that she gave it her own name. This was also the old Latin name given to the mugwort or wormwoods. An alternative possibility for the derivation of this name is that it comes from Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus in Asia Minor (Turkey), sister and wife of King Mausolus, who ruled after his death from 352 to 350 B.C.E. and built during her short reign one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, which she unfortunately did not live to see the completion of. This is one of the many genera which Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus published in his Species Plantarum in 1753 and is in the family Asteraceae.
http://www.calflora.net/southafrica/1A-B.html

Horticulture

African wormwood grows in thick, bushy, slightly untidy clumps, usually with tall stems up to 2m (6.5 feet) high. The stems are thick and woody at the base, becoming thinner and softer towards the top. Many smaller side branches shoot from the main stems. The soft, silver grey leaves are finely divided. The upper surface of the leaves is dark green whereas the undersides and the stems are covered with small white hairs, which give the shrub the characteristic overall grey colour. It flowers in late summer. The individual creamy yellow flowers are small (3-4 mm in diameter), nodding and crowded at the tips of the branches. The foliage of this important African plant exudes a strong, sticky sweet smell when touched.
Liesl van der Walt. 2004. Artemisia afra. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/artemisafra.htm. [Accessed 09 November 15]. http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/artemisafra.htm link

Medicinal

One of the oldest and best known medicinal plants. It is still used effectively today in South Africa by people of all cultures. The list of uses covers a wide range of ailments from coughs, colds, fever, loss of appetite, colic, headache, earache, intestinal worms to malaria. Artemisia is used in many different ways and one of the most common practices is to insert fresh leaves into the nostrils to clear blocked nasal passages. The roots, stems and leaves are used in many different ways and taken as enemas, poultices, infusions, body washes, lotions, smoked, snuffed or drunk as a tea. A. afra has a very bitter taste and is usually sweetened with sugar or honey when drunk. Wilde-als brandy is a very popular medicine still made and sold today.
Liesl van der Walt. 2004. Artemisia afra. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/artemisafra.htm. [Accessed 09 November 15]. http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/artemisafra.htm link

Nomenclature

Artemisia- named in honour of Artemis, the Greek goddess of chastity. Of considerable medicinal value, plants of the genus yield vermifuges, stimulants, and a vulnerary…
Stearn, W.T. (1996). Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners. Cassell. p.56

afra- african.
Stearn, W.T. (1996). Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners. Cassell. p.34

Other use

Artemisia afar has been used in natural insecticidal sprays and as a moth repellent.
Liesl van der Walt. 2004. Artemisia afra. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/artemisafra.htm. [Accessed 09 November 15]. http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/artemisafra.htm link

Geographical distribution

  • Africa, East Tropical Africa, Kenya
  • Africa, East Tropical Africa, Tanzania
  • Africa, East Tropical Africa, Uganda
  • Africa, Northeast Tropical Africa, Ethiopia
  • Africa, South Tropical Africa, Angola
  • Africa, South Tropical Africa, Malawi
  • Africa, South Tropical Africa, Mozambique
  • Africa, South Tropical Africa, Zambia
  • Africa, South Tropical Africa, Zimbabwe
  • Africa, Southern Africa, Botswana
  • Africa, Southern Africa, Cape Provinces
  • Africa, Southern Africa, Free State
  • Africa, Southern Africa, KwaZulu-Natal
  • Africa, Southern Africa, Lesotho
  • Africa, Southern Africa, Namibia
  • Africa, Southern Africa, Northern Provinces
  • Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland
  • Africa, West-Central Tropical Africa, Zaire

Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd.

Family: ASTERACEAE
Genus: Artemisia
Species: afra Jacq. ex Willd.
Common names: African wormwood, wild wormwood
Distribution summary: Africa
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: H3 - Half hardy; unheated greenhouse/mild winter
Habitat: Damp meadows, sandy streamsides
Garden status: Currently grown
Garden location: Southern Hemisphere Wolfson bed (N)
Flowering months: July, August, October, November
Reason for growing: Medicinal


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