Canada Thistle
Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.
PerennialUp to 4 ft
Spiny leaves, light lavender flowers and extensive roots that drive its spread.
Artemisia absinthium L.
Absinth Wormwood
Identification
Absinth Wormwood
Artemisia absinthium L.
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Height
- Up to 4 ft
Absinth wormwood is an erect perennial growing up to 4 feet tall. The leaves are 1 to 3 inches long, deeply dissected and covered with fine gray or silver hairs.
The stems are erect and covered with fine hairs. The flowers are small, yellow and grow in panicles toward the top of the plant.
Seeds form in late summer or fall. The plant has a large, woody taproot and a very distinctive odor. It is European in origin and has been used for medicinal purposes.
Control
Controlling absinth wormwood
- Best timing
- Spray when plants are at least 12 inches tall and actively growing. Early applications give poor control.
- Mowing and pulling
- Mowing and cultivation do not control it. Livestock graze it only in early spring.
- Herbicide
- Clopyralid, dicamba, aminopyralid (Milestone), 2,4-D, picloram (Tordon) and glyphosate. For a fall treatment, mow in early to midsummer first.
- Biological control
- No biological control agents are available.
Always follow the product label, and check rates in the North Dakota Weed Control Guide from NDSU. Your county weed control officer can tell you what fits your land. Source: NDSU Extension W1411 (December 2025).
Keep Looking
Other weeds on the state list
Dalmatian Toadflax
Linaria genistifolia ssp. dalmatica (L.)
PerennialUp to 3 ft
An escaped ornamental whose deep root and waxy leaves make it hard to control.
Diffuse Knapweed
Centaurea diffusa Lam.
Annual or biennialUp to 2 ft
Grayish green and hairy, with mostly white flowers and spine tipped seed heads.
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