Artemisia ludoviciana
Silver wormwood, Silver Wormwood
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Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Artemisia ludoviciana (Silver wormwood) is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family.
Silver wormwood is a California native perennial herb found in various western bioregions in dry, open habitats at elevations ranging from low to moderate terrain. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces small, subtle flowers in nodding heads less than 7 millimeters wide, arranged in diffuse panicle-like clusters. Growing with multiple stems 20 to 80 centimeters tall, the plant develops a dense gray to white tomentose (woolly) appearance that creates a soft, silvery aesthetic. Its leaves are variable, ranging from linear to elliptic or obovate, measuring 1 to 11 centimeters long and often deeply pinnately lobed, covered in a dense tomentose surface that gives the plant its distinctive silvery-gray coloration. The plant emerges from an underground rhizome, creating multiple stems that contribute to its bushy, spread-out growth pattern.
How to tell it apart
vs Salvia: Artemisia has tiny clustered flower heads in the sunflower family; Salvia has two-lipped tubular flowers in the mint family with square stems.; vs Ambrosia: Artemisia has fused anthers and typically silvery foliage; Ambrosia has free anthers and often deeply lobed green leaves.; vs Ericameria: Artemisia is aromatic with inconspicuous greenish heads lacking rays; Ericameria has bright yellow daisy-like heads with showy ray petals.; vs Pseudognaphalium: Artemisia has no seed bristles and woody stems; Pseudognaphalium has fluffy white pappus bristles and soft herbaceous stems.; vs Eschscholzia: Artemisia has tiny greenish clustered flower heads; Eschscholzia has large showy orange or yellow poppy flowers with 4 petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Artemisia ludoviciana native to California?
Yes. Artemisia ludoviciana is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Artemisia ludoviciana belong to?
Artemisia ludoviciana is in the Asteraceae family, genus Artemisia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.