Family: Asteraceae

Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort, green-ginger) is a perennial herb native to Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Alaska. It is cultivated for culinary uses, such as being used as a bittering agent for gruit ales and in China,  its young stalks being used in stir fries. In Nepal, the plant has ritualistic uses, being used as an offering to the gods, cleansing the environment, and as a medicinal plant. Historically, mugwort has been used for traditional medical purposes all over the world. 

It is reported to be naturalized in North America and on the islands of Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, Lanaʻi, and Hawaiʻi. This plant is a weed of high elevation pastures, forest edges, waste areas, valleys, roadsides and ditches. It is both allergenic and can be toxic to animals if consumed in large quantities. Forming dense stands, and being tolerant to many herbicides, this plant is difficult to control as an escaped weed.

High Risk Traits:

• Broad climate suitability
  
• Naturalized, and able to spread in regions with tropical climates
  
• Naturalized on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Lanai, and Hawaii (Hawaiian Islands), and widely naturalized elsewhere
  
• A weed of gardens, nursery stock, waste areas, and turfgrass, as well as several crops
  
• An environmental weed in some locations
  
• Other species are invasive
  
• Allelopathic
  
• Possibly toxic to animals and people if consumed in large amounts
  
• Pollen is allergenic
  
• Tolerates many soil types
  
• Able to form dense, monospecific stands
  
• Able to reproduce by seeds (in some locations) and vegetatively by rhizomes
  
• Reaches maturity in 2 years
  
• Seeds dispersed by wind, water, and people
  
• Rhizome fragments dispersed accidentally by machinery and as a contaminant of nursery stock
  
• Tolerant of, and difficult to control with many herbicides

Low Risk Traits:

• Valued as a garden herb by some, despite reports of weediness and possible toxicity
  
• Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
  
• Propagated vegetatively in Hawaii, suggesting seed production may be low
  
• Limited seed production may limit ability for long distance dispersal