Artemisia campestris L.
northern wormwood (field sagewort)
Asteraceae (Aster family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Virginia Skilton     (Photo ID #66536)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Artemisia campestris
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC

Artemisia campestris ssp. pacifica

Species Information

General:
Biennial, or more often perennial, scarcely aromatic herb from a taproot; stems erect, several to numerous, glabrous to hairy, 0.1-1.0 m tall.
Leaves:
Mainly basal, 2-3 times pinnately cut or 3-parted, 2-12 cm long, including the stalks, the segments linear or linear-filiform, seldom more than 2 mm wide, glabrous to more often long-hairy, reduced above.
Flowers:
Heads disciform, numerous in a branched or narrow inflorescence, involucres hemispheric 2-4.5 mm tall; involucral bracts glabrous to densely long-hairy; receptacles glabrous; female flowers 8-20, disk flowers 10-25.
Fruits:
Achenes glabrous.
Notes:
The taxonomy of this circumpolar species remains unclear, especially in North America. Many of the regional floras disagree with respect to the number of taxa that should be recognized (Douglas 1995). The two subspecies recognized for BC may be separated, although sometimes with difficulty, as follows:

1. Plants usually 10-40 cm tall; involucres 3-4.5 mm tall.......................ssp borealis (Pall) Hall & Clem.

1. Plants usally 50-100 cm tall; involucres 2-3 mm tall......................ssp. pacifica (Nutt.) Hall & Clem.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Artemisia campestris

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
855 225 2158
Slope Gradient (%)
24 0 95

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

196 4 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
2 0 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
319
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

AT(4), BG(118), BWBS(7), ESSF(7), ICH(1), IDF(118), MS(5), PP(37), SBPS(2), SBS(2), SWB(3)

Habitat and Range

Mesic to dry meadows, rocky slopes and open forets in all vegetation zones; common throughout BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains, infrequent on S Vancouver Island and adjacent mainland, absent in WC BC and the Queen Charlotte Islands; N to AK, YT and NT, E to AB and S to NM, AZ and CA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Artemisia campestris var. purshii subsp. borealis (Bess.) Cronq.
Artemisia campestris subsp. Canadensis [Michx.] Scoggan pro parte