Leaves strongly resemble and smell like chrysanthemum leaves. Juvenile mugwort can be confused with ragweed, which has more finely cut leaves. Seedlings are rarely encountered in the Northeastern U.S. because few viable seeds are produced. In the Southeastern U.S. seedlings are more common. Flowers are produced in clusters at the upper portion of the stems in late summer.
Individual flowers are greenish-yellow disk flowers.
It has been grown as an ornamental and medicinal herb. Mugwort tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Most infestations have resulted from vegetative introduction in nursery stock, topsoil, compost, or farm equipment. Mugwort spreads by long, stout rhizomes. Viable seed dispersal is important in the southeastern U.S., but rare in the Northeast.