If you’ve been enjoying PEI’s famous beaches during this hot weather, you may have noticed a distinctive silvery-green plant standing out among the green, sand-loving vegetation. This is Beach Wormwood (Artemisia stellariana Photo 1).
Although it could be mistaken for garden-variety Dusty Miller (Jacobaea maritima), Beach Wormwood is a separate species of the same family. It’s native to Northern Asia and parts of Alaska, but – like its famous cousin – has been widely cultivated as an ornamental. Like so many plants, Beach Wormwood escaped from cultivation; it has been established in the wild on PEI since at least the 1920s.
The same feature that makes Beach Wormwood attractive as a garden plant is a key reason it can survive our harsh, coastal environment: that silvery foliage (Photo 2). Beach Wormwood leaves are green, allowing this plant to photosynthesize, but they are covered in a thick layer of short white hairs (called ‘trichomes’). Those hairs keep damaging salt from hitting the leaves, reduce water loss, and trap rainwater and dew to give Beach Wormwood a source of freshwater. Additionally, this perennial has deep roots that help anchor it in shifting sand, and much of the foliage stays low to the ground to avoid drying, damaging winds.
Beach Wormwood becomes even more striking in July when its tiny yellow flowers appear (Photo 3). Allergy sufferers need not worry: unlike most Artemisia species, Beach Wormwood is insect pollinated and not a major source of airborne pollen.
This plant is closely related to Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), has a similar scent and flavour, and can be used as a seasoning in the same way. Another relative – Absinthe Wormwood (Artemesia absinthium) – is used to flavour the infamous liquor absinthe, as well as vermouth. The entire Artemisia genus has a long history of culinary and medicinal uses, and recent research into Beach Wormwood has found range of compounds with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and insecticidal properties.
I’m no fan of non-native plants in the wild, but Beach Wormwood doesn’t cause any significant problems and I could argue it does some good. I’ve seen it playing the same role as native plants such as Sea Rocket (Cakile edentula), catching sand and beginning the process of dune formation. It supports native pollinators, and bees have been known to collect those protective hairs from Beach Wormwood leaves to build their nests. Trying to eradicate Beach Wormwood would do far more ecological harm than good.
While it’s not native, Beach Wormwood in an interesting and well-adapted part of PEI untamed!
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