Mugwort takes over parking lots, colonizes unweeded areas of the park, pokes through fences. It is only a few inches high in early spring, up to six feet by the time it goes to seed in the fall, but at any time of year you will know it by its silvery white undersides that are a bright contrast to its green topsides, and its unique, spicy, musty fragrance when its leaves are crushed. Here is a botanical identification guide. Artemisia vulgaris is a tall-growing herbaceous perennial frequently rising 3 feet or more in height, which spreads both by rhizome and seed. The stalked leaves are dark green on the upper surface, lower surface greyish-white.
Leaves are entire or once or twice pinnately lobed, the segments being lance shaped and pointed.
The stalkless upper leaves are less divided. The inconspicuous green flowers are in small oval heads and are arranged in terminal panicles that arch downward on the otherwise upright stems. The flowers appear in late summer and early fall. Mugwort Leaves The Latin genus name, Artemisia, refers to the Greek moon goddess Artemis. Among her many roles in Greek mythology, Artemis was responsible for helping women through all their physical cycles including menstruation, childbirth and menopause.