Mugwort

Pollen Type: Weed

Cross-Reactivity: Dandelion, Other Sages

HS Allergy Extract: Sagebrush, Mugwort

Family: Compositae

Genus/Species: Artemisia douglasiana

Common Names: California Mugwort, Douglas’s Sagewort, Dream Plant

Distribution: Western United States including Calfornia, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

Locations: Waste areas, pastures, roadsides, near streams

Pollination Method: Wind-pollinated

Pollinating Period: July – October

Description: California Mugwort is a perennial herbaceous weed native to western North America. The plant’s stems are upright and can range from 1.5′-8′ tall. Its leaves are gray-green, elliptical, and evenly spaced, with lobes at the tips ranging from barely visible to well-defined. During its blooming period, the plant produces bell-shaped flower clusters containing 5-9 pistillate (female) flowers and 6-25 disk flowers. Although it can reproduce from seed, it is primarily propagated through the division and spreading of its underground rhizomes, which also help to prevent erosion by stabilizing streambanks. As a result, California mugwort is commonly found in ditches and stream banks.