Artemisia abrotanum

Artemisia abrotanum L. (syn.: A. paniculatum Lam.) (Turkey?) – A very rare and much decreasing alien. Formerly rather frequently cultivated in gardens as a decorative, medicinal or culinary herb. Sometimes reported as an escape or relic of cultivation in Belgium, at least since 1872. Artemisia abrotanum is still cultivated but much less so nowadays. In the past decades it was no longer seen as an escape. However, a single plant is known since several years (ca. 2009) by a railway track (near a grain storage) in the port of Gent. This obviously is a distinct race and differs from the usual garden plant by its very distinct, camphorous smell (the smell of the usual garden plant vaguely reminds of lemon). At this location it was obviously introduced unwittingly, apparently as a contaminant in cereals.

Gent, port area, by railway track near grain storage, August 2011, R. Barendse Gent, port area, by railway track near grain storage, August 2011, R. Barendse
Gent, port area, by railway track near grain storage, August 2011, R. Barendse  Artemisia abrotanum, Gent, port area, by railway track near grain storage, August 2011, F. Verloove
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith