The Grey Gold of High Ridges

Habit: A small woody plant. Stem: Very short, branched and woody at the base, from which twisted, sturdy roots arise; the flowering scapes rarely exceed 20 cm in height. Leaves: Divided into 2–3 fan-shaped lobes about 2 mm wide, with small teeth at the apex, entirely covered with dense silvery hairs, giving the plant its characteristic grey-silky appearance. Flowers: Tiny and yellow, gathered in woolly capitula containing 25–50 florets, together forming a compact and intensely fragrant spike at the top of the scape. Fruits: Achenes, or cypselae, containing a single seed. Flowering: July–August.

Chorological type: South-European orophyte. Distribution in Italy: Present in the Central Apennines, especially in the Sibillini, Gran Sasso and Majella groups, as well as in the Maritime Alps of Piedmont. Habitat: Cliffs, dry screes and other high-altitude rocky environments between 2000 and 2800 m above sea level.

Generic name (Artemisia): Derived from Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt and wild places, to whom these aromatic plants were sacred in antiquity. Specific name (eriantha): From the Greek erion, “wool”, and anthos, “flower”, clearly referring to the woolliness of the flower heads.

In traditional herbal practice, this plant is known for its digestive, depurative, antibacterial and vermifuge virtues, and it has also been used in folk medicine for its tonic and balsamic properties against respiratory ailments. In liqueur-making it is known in Abruzzo as Genepì and has historically been used for artisanal liqueurs and bitters, much like the alpine species Artemisia genipi, thanks to its intense aroma and the bitter compounds contained in the stems and leaves.

Because of excessive collecting linked to liqueur production, the species is now protected and listed as Vulnerable in national and regional Red Lists. Its survival is closely linked to the regulation of wild harvesting and to the protection of high-altitude rocky ecosystems, which are also threatened by climate change.