Artemisia borealis

Artemisia borealis

Boreal sagebrush (Artemisia borealis Pall.) Is a herbaceous species belonging to the Asteraceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view, it belongs to the Eukaryota Domain, the Plantae Kingdom, the Spermatophyta Superdivision, the Magnoliophyta Division, the Magnoliopsida Class, the Asteridae Subclass, the Asterales Order, the Asteraceae Family, the Asteroideae Subfamily, the Anthemideae Tribe, the Artemisiinae Subcrib and therefore the Artemisiais species and the A. boris genus. .
The terms are synonymous:
– Artemisia campestris subsp. borealis (Pall.) H.M. Hall & Clem .;
– Artemisia nana Gaudin.

Etymology –
The term Artemisia comes from Ἄρτεμις Artemis Artemide, Greek name of the goddess Diana, a genus already mentioned in Pliny; according to some authors, Artemisia II of Caria (Αρτεμισία Artemisía? -350 BC), sister and wife of Mausolus, would have given this plant its name.
The specific epithet borealis comes from the late Latin borealis (derived from the Greek βορέας boreas) borea, north wind, north: proper to the northern regions, the northern, northern hemisphere.

Geographical Distribution and Habitat –
Artemisia borealis is a species native to the high latitudes and high altitudes of the regions of Eurasia and North America.
In the Eurasian region it is widespread throughout European and Asian Russia and also grows in Scandinavia and in the mountain ranges of Central Europe (Carpathians, Alps, etc.).
In North America, it is found in Alaska, Greenland, the Canadian Arctic and the Rocky Mountains, in the Cascades and in the Sierra Nevada, all the way to the south of Arizona and New Mexico.

Description –
Boreal sagebrush is a perennial, tufty herbaceous plant that grows up to 40 cm.
The plant is somewhat branched and aromatic with gray-green stems, tomentosis. The leaves are persistent, with persistent basal rosettes, gray-green to white in color; with ovate laminae, 2–4 × 0.5–1 cm, with the presence of 2–3 pointed lobes or externally with linear to oblong lobes, acute apices, moderate to densely silky.
The flowers are yellow-orange or deep red in color, forming erect piriform (3 X 4,5 mm) or globular (4-4,5 mm), 20-30flori, on 3-12 mm peduncles; casing consisting of 5-7 scales on each side.
The fruits are achenes (cipselle), oblong – lanceolate, slightly compressed, of 0,4-1 mm and hairless.

Cultivation –
Artemisia borealis is a rather rare species that grows in cold areas and at high altitudes on poor, stony soils and whose collection, due to its rarity, must be avoided and prohibited.

Uses and Traditions –
As mentioned, this species is very rare in the Alps (probable relic of an era with arid and continental-cold climate during the retreat of the Wurmian glaciers) must be preserved and its collection must be avoided.
On the Alps, in the Colle della Seigne which is an alpine pass of the Mont Blanc massif (Alpi Graie) which joins the Val Veny, the lateral valley of the Aosta Valley, with the Chapieux valley, in Savoy, according to Vaccari it was probably already extinct at the beginning of the century. The transition to the Sp. Artemisia campestris (which often lives in the same areas, but at a lower level) takes place gradually through about intermediate populations.

Method of Preparation –
Artemisia borealis, although it has qualities and characteristics similar to other artemisias, due to its rarity, should not be collected and therefore used for medicinal or food purposes.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Tips and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (edited by), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.

Warning: Pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for information purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; therefore, no responsibility is accepted for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.