Hoary Mugwort

artemisia stelleriana

Hoary Mugwort (Artemisia stelleriana), also known as beach wormwood or dusty miller, is an eye-catching perennial plant famed for its striking silver-white foliage. Native to the sandy coasts of Northeast Asia and Northwest North America, it has successfully naturalized along many shorelines of Eastern North America and Northern Europe. Its velvety, deeply lobed leaves look almost frosted, an aesthetic that makes it a beloved choice for rock gardens and coastal landscaping. Beyond its beauty, this resilient plant plays a crucial role in stabilizing sand dunes, helping to prevent coastal erosion with its creeping rhizomes. Can you find a Hoary Mugwort? Log it and verify its identity with the Snappit app.

Habitat: Found on sandy coastal dunes, beaches, and rocky shorelines, often tolerating high wind and salt spray.

Appearance

This low-growing, mat-forming perennial typically reaches heights of 15 to 60 centimeters. Its most distinctive feature is its dense covering of fine, felt-like white hairs that coat both sides of its deeply-lobed, chrysanthemum-like leaves, giving the plant a silvery, hoary appearance. In mid-to-late summer, it produces small, nodding, pale-yellow flower heads arranged in narrow, leafy clusters. The stems are semi-woody at the base and sprawl across sandy substrates.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderAsteralesFamilyAsteraceaeGenusArtemisia

Hoary Mugwort

Interesting facts

Despite its delicate, velvety appearance, Hoary Mugwort is exceptionally tough, capable of surviving extreme winds and temperatures far below freezing.

Its scientific species name 'stelleriana' honors Georg Wilhelm Steller, a pioneering German naturalist who explored Siberia and Alaska in the 18th century.

The silvery hairs on its leaves act like natural sunscreen, reflecting harsh ultraviolet rays away from the plant's delicate tissues.

Special abilities

The thick layer of white, woolly hairs reflects excess solar radiation and reduces water loss through transpiration.

Specialized cellular structures allow the plant to thrive in highly saline environments where other vegetation would dehydrate.

An extensive network of underground stems anchors the plant firmly in shifting coastal dunes, helping to prevent erosion.

Measurements & details

Length: 15-60 cm
Weight: 0.1-1.5 kg
Lifespan: 3-10 years

Diet & Feeding

As a photosynthetic autotroph, this plant manufactures its own food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water while absorbing minerals through its roots.

Primary Foods

Sunlight
Carbon dioxide
Water
Soil minerals

Ecological connections

mutualism

American Bumblebee

Bombus pensylvanicus

Pollinated by various bees seeking nectar and pollen from its summer blooms.

competitor

American Beachgrass

Ammophila breviligulata

Grows alongside and competes for space and nutrients in coastal sand dune ecosystems.

eaten by

Wormwood Pug

Eupithecia absinthiata

The caterpillars of this moth feed on the flowers and foliage of Artemisia species.

Traits

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Also known as

No aliases listed yet.

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Safety

Danger

1/5 · Very low

No special safety notes yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to identify Hoary Mugwort?

The easiest way to identify Hoary Mugwort is to use the Snappit nature identifier app.

How long is Hoary Mugwort?

15-60 cm

How much does Hoary Mugwort weigh?

0.1-1.5 kg

How long does Hoary Mugwort live?

3-10 years

What does Hoary Mugwort eat?

As a photosynthetic autotroph, this plant manufactures its own food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water while absorbing minerals through its roots.

Where is Hoary Mugwort usually found?

Found on sandy coastal dunes, beaches, and rocky shorelines, often tolerating high wind and salt spray.