Dioscorides' Plants, Then and Now
ἀψίνθιον

Wormwood

Artemisia absinthium L. · Asteraceae
Identification: ProbableNot endemic to GreeceConservation status not assessed
Risk rank
18 of 32 (14–18)
Risk score
0.29(0.29–0.29)2 · Moderate

Then and now

2050 · moderate emissions. SSP2-4.5, 2041-2060, 3 climate models; ranges show the spread.

The plant
ἀψίνθιον
Photograph of Artemisia absinthium
Photo: David Monniaux · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (photo of Wormwood)
2050 · moderate emissions
Natural Earth (PD) · model output · ~10 km cells
Loading map layers (0 of 1)
Layers
Range keptLost by 2050Gained by 2050Cultivation zoneNatura 2000Occurrence cellCells ≈ 10 × 10 km

Occurrences are aggregated to ~10 km cells; exact points are never published. View range data as a table

De Materia Medica · Book III · ch. 23c. 50–70 CE
ἀψίνθιον
apsinthion
ἀψίνθιον· γνώριμος ἡ πόα. ἐστι δὲ αὐτοῦ βέλτιον τὸ ἐν Πόντῳ καὶ Καππαδοκίᾳ γεννώμενον ἐν ὄρει τῳ καλουμένῳ Ταύρῳ. …
Modern identification
Artemisia absinthiumL. · AsteraceaeProbable

Source: Osbaldeston 2000.

Full citation and quoted evidence

Wellmann (ed.) 1906, DMM III 23 ("ἀψίνθιον· γνώριμος ἡ πόα"; RV: Ῥωμαῖοι ἀψίνθιουμ ῥούστικουμ); Osbaldeston 2000, ch. 3-26: "Artemisia absinthium [Linnaeus] — Wormwood".

Opening words of the chapter (Wellmann numbering). Edition: Wellmann 1906-1914 (Weidmann, Berlin), public domain; digitised by First1KGreek (Harvard/Leipzig, CC BY-SA 4.0), urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0656.tlg001.1st1K-grc1. See the page scan.

Modern official status

European Medicines Agency herbal monograph

Absinthii herba · category: traditional

We report regulatory status only and make no claim about effects. Read the monograph for its exact wording.

Open the monograph on ema.europa.eu

Projected range change by 2050

2050 · moderate (SSP2-4.5)+151% (+31 to +158%)
2050 · high (SSP5-8.5)+330% (+73 to +340%)

Median and spread across 3 climate models. Whisker axis −80% to +20%, dashed tick at 0; a chevron means the value runs beyond the axis.

Suitable cultivation area, 2050 moderate3,665 km² (1,055–6,208 km²)

Risk score breakdown

0.29 (0.29–0.29)Moderate risk class 2
00.51.0
  • Range loss 0.00 of max 0.40 · (0.00–0.00)
  • Endemism 0.00 of max 0.20 · not endemic
  • Conservation status 0.10 of max 0.20 · not assessed
  • Harvest pressure 0.19 of max 0.20

Stays in the top 10 in 0% of 1,000 random weightings.

How the score is built, and how sensitive it is to weights

Model quality

Standard grade
AUC (spatial block CV)
0.78 ± 0.13
Distance-only baseline AUC
0.78 ours is higher (by < 0.005)
Boyce index
0.22 ± 0.31
TSS
0.62 ± 0.18
Occurrence records
41 after cleaning (of 47)

5-fold spatial block cross-validation (~25 km blocks); ± is one standard deviation across folds. Null model AUC 0.49. The baseline scores each held-out point by its distance to the nearest training record, on the same folds. "Standard" grade means ≥ 30 records, AUC ≥ 0.75 and above the baseline; fewer than 10 records is a data gap; anything else is low grade.

Suggested action

Cultivation opportunity

Climate-resilient candidate crop; cultivation can take pressure off wild collection.

Rule: Gains or keeps habitat · has a 2050 cultivation zone.

Where it could be grown

Identification through time

Who has matched ἀψίνθιον to which modern plant, from the Renaissance to today.

All names through time
Cited for the identification we modelProposed an alternativeAlternative preferred by our sourceAlternative rejected by our sourceCommonly proposed, not verified by us
Renaissance commentators
Linnaean botany & Flora Graeca
Edition
Modern
150016001700180019002000
  • ἀψίνθιονDMM 3.23 · WormwoodArtemisia absinthiumProbable

Select a mark to read who proposed which plant, and the source we read it in.

Dates are each authority's main herbal or commentary (approximate, "c."), used to order the timeline. Claims are parsed from our curated identification table; every quote links back to a page scan or edition on the plant page.

Caveats

  • Identification is probable; results describe Artemisia absinthium L., which may not be the plant Dioscorides meant.

Range data (map alternative)

ScenarioSuitable ~10 km cellsChangeShare in Natura 2000
Now236—36.4%
2050 moderate528 (327–571)+151% (+31 to +158%)32% (32–33%)
2050 high837 (427–917)+330% (+73 to +340%)26% (26–31%)