Plant Guide > Herbs > Southernwood herb

Southernwood herb

Southernwood (Artemisia Abrotanum, Linn.) is a woody-stemmed perennial herb belonging to the Compositae and a native of southern Europe. It grows from 2 to 4 feet tall, bears hairlike, highly aromatic leaves and heads of small yellow flowers.

The herb is often found in old-fashioned gardens as an ornamental under the name of Old Man. In some countries the young shoots are used for flavoring cakes and other culinary preparations.