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| Artemisia californica |
| Family: Asteraceae (Aster) |
| Flowers — color: yellow, size: ??, type: ?? |
Small, yellow flowers with no discernable petals. Unfortunately, I have yet to record it.
Habit:
This perennial herb or small shrub goes by a multitude of names. The leaves range from one to four inches long as the plant develops. The pale green leaf top has indented veins, the bottom is even paler. The edges have one or more notches. Lower leaves may have several shallow notches resulting in sharp teeth, while upper leaves have fewere but deeper notches resulting in fingers. They grow oppositely around a vertical stem.
Mugwort prefers damp ground. I have seen it in the understory around Hidden Lake, where columnar plants regrow each rainy season and reach several feet high. It may also spread to form a shrub four feet high and five feet wide.
The Chumash found many medicinal uses for Mugwort. It often grows near poison oak, and the leaves could be crushed to reduce or ease the coming rash. The leaves and seeds might treat pain, cramps, menopause and provide aromatherapy.
Related to Sagebrush, a plant with finer finger-like needles.