WORMWOOD

The Wormwoods are individuals from the colossal group of Compositae and have a place with the class Artemisia, a gathering comprising of 180 species, of which we have four developing wild in England, the Common Wormwood, Mugwort, Sea Wormwood and Field Wormwood. Furthermore, as garden plants, however not local, Tarragon (A. dracunculus) guarantees a place in each herb-garden, and Southernwood (A. abrotanum), an out-dated top choice, is found in numerous outskirts, while others, for example, A. sericea, A. cana and A. alpina, shape beautiful rockwork bushes. The entire family is momentous for the extraordinary severity of all parts of the plant: 'as intense as Wormwood' is an extremely Ancient adage. In a portion of the Western conditions of North America there are huge tracts completely desperate of other vegetation than specific sorts of Artemisia, which cover immense fields. The plants are of no utilization as search: and the couple of wild creatures that feast upon them are said to have, when eaten, a severe taste. The Artemisias additionally possess large amounts of the parched soil of the Tartarean steppes and in other comparable circumstances. The class is named Artemisia from Artemis, the Greek name for Diana. In an early interpretation of the Herbarium of Apuleius we find: 'Of these worts that we name Artemisia, it is said that Diana found them and conveyed their forces and leechdom to Chiron the Centaur, who first from these Worts put forward a leechdom, and he named these worts from the name of Diana, Artemis, that is Artemisias.'