Absinthe

ABSINTHE
(Absinth, madderwort, warmat, varmit, wormwood)


Habitat: Roadsides, waste places, farmyards, pastures, and cropland.


Description: Absinthe is a perennial that spreads by seed.  The stems are .6 to 1.2 meters high, covered with fine hairs, grooved and woody at the base.  Leaves are 5 - 10 cm long, alternate, covered with fine hairs, greenish with narrow/blunt segments.  They have a small flower heads that are 5 mm across.  They are drooping with numberous yellow or purple flowers.  They flower from late July to September.  Seeds are small, broader at the tip than the base, finely streaked, and brownish in colour.


Control Practices:

1. Cultivation is satisfactory where it can be done.  Tillage must be done often enough to keep the plant weakened.

2. Seed early the year after cultivation to a competitive crop such as barley and rework the land after the harvest.

3. Good competition from strong stands of crop or grass will choke out the weed in most cases.

4. Chemical control is also an option.


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