Artemisia suksdorfii
Coastal mugwort
(c) Walter Siegmund, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Artemisia suksdorfii (Coastal mugwort) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by herbaceous habit and coastal habitat.
Coastal mugwort is a California native perennial found in northern coastal California and southern Channel Islands in coastal drainages and roadsides at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces small, subtle flower heads in dense panicle-like clusters with straw-colored to yellow-green phyllaries. Growing with many erect brown stems 50 to 200 centimeters tall emerging from a rhizome, it forms extensive clonal patches. Its leaves are distinctively lanceolate, 5 to 10 centimeters long, coarsely and irregularly lobed, dark green on top and white-tomentose underneath. The plant produces tiny fruits less than 0.8 millimeters long, creating delicate seed clusters along its branching stems.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 7 sympatric species; distinguished by herbaceous habit and coastal habitat
Habitat and range
Habitat: Coastal drainages, roadsides
Elevation: < 300 m
Outside California: to British Columbia
Bloom period
Artemisia suksdorfii blooms Generally Jun-Sep.
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 suksdorfii native to California?
Yes. Artemisia suksdorfii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Artemisia suksdorfii bloom?
Artemisia suksdorfii blooms Generally Jun-Sep.
What plant family does Artemisia suksdorfii belong to?
Artemisia suksdorfii is in the Asteraceae family, genus Artemisia.
What habitat does Artemisia suksdorfii grow in?
Artemisia suksdorfii grows in Coastal drainages, roadsides.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Artemisia tridentata — Big sagebrush
- Artemisia tridentata subsp. parishii
- Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata — Big sagebrush
- Artemisia tridentata subsp. vaseyana — Mountain sagebrush
- Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis — Wyoming sagebrush
- Artemisia tripartita ssp. tripartita — threetip sagebrush
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.