Mugwort

Mugwort

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is an aggressive herbaceous perennial native to Europe and eastern Asia and was brought to the U.S. as a medicinal herb. It has thick, lace-like, lobed leaflets that are smooth and green on top, and hairy on the underside. Mugwort has subtle yellow flowers with no petals. It is a highly adaptable plant, growing in a wide range of temperatures and soil conditions. Mugwort is drought tolerant and will often be one of the first plants to colonize soil that has been disturbed. It spreads by its rhizomatic root system and minimally through seed germination. Mugwort opportunistically takes over sunny areas of land, displacing less aggressive native plants that exist there. The most vulnerable habitats to this invasive plant are roadsides, along with recently disturbed meadows and valleys. 

Keys To Success

Carefully hand pulling Mugwort when it is very young is a successful method to prevent colonization. To deter seed dispersal, it is best to mow mugwort from early summer into mid September. If well established, it is best to cover large areas with a tarp to weaken the plant through photosynthesis deprivation and apply a foliar spray in late summer or early fall. It is recommended to never till Mugwort due to its ability to reproduce via fragments of its root system.