About Artemisia santonicum L.
Artemisia santonicum L., commonly known as saline wormwood, is a herbaceous perennial plant or subshrub that reaches 20–60 cm in height. Its foliage is strongly aromatic, and is typically colored greyish-green to whitish-green, though it may turn glabrous green as it ages or sustains wear. The leaves are deeply twice to thrice pinnatifid, with narrow linear segments measuring 0.7–1 mm across, and are covered on both sides by a dense layer of white hairs. The plant produces small, oblong flower heads that are 1–2 mm in diameter, with a yellowish or brownish tint. These flower heads are arranged in racemes that can be either drooping or erect, and bloom from September to October. This species has often been mistakenly misidentified as Artemisia maritima, a closely related wormwood native to northern Europe. Saline wormwood grows on saline soils, and occurs in the drier sections of saltmarshes, as well as in brackish ditches, saltpans, sea cliffs, and coastal shingle.
