Gwydion Stone Report post Posted August 29, 2007 It does smell nice. It's a pretty peculiar scent/taste for a beverage though. Not unpleasant, but distracting if you're accustomed to regular Aa, IMHO. Used judiciously and creatively with the right other ingredients... it probably wouldn't be worth the bother. And unless you also used Aa, you wouldn't have absinthe anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dakini_painter Report post Posted August 29, 2007 Be an individual Auguru! Don't follow the pack! Listen to your own taste buds! Don't be daunted by nay-sayers and challenging herbs! btw, I've never tasted Powis Castle, so I could be totally wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psi3000 Report post Posted August 29, 2007 Auguru, you say that that is a pic of Powis Castle? But it has flowers.... I thought Powis Castle did not have flowers.... Also is long, are you sure you posted a pic of Powis Castle and not A.a.? Also can anyone send me some live A.a? I will pay for shipping and handling. I also got a lbs of Starwest Botanicals Artemisia Absinthium. Would this have the therojon removed? Is this the right stuff one would use to make Absinthe? Says origin is Croatia. Its dried and chopped. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian Robinson Report post Posted August 29, 2007 Psi, why don't you introduce yourself first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sixela Report post Posted August 29, 2007 Most wormwood sold at garden centers is actually Powis Castle and not Artemisia Absinthium. Here, it's sometimes Lambrook Silver, and that is definitely A.a. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrainerAZ Report post Posted August 29, 2007 Hmm, Powis Castle used to be listed as "Artemisia absinthium 'Powis Castle'", and now is "Artemisia X 'Powis Castle'. Apparently it's been determined not to be a variety of A.a. but a hybrid between A.a. and Artemisia arborescens. Vewwy intewwesting. Or not, depending upon your areas of interest. If you found this post uninteresting, I suggest you skip it and move on to the next one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dakini_painter Report post Posted August 29, 2007 Oh, you mean where psi3000 is going to start asking questions about whether you really have to distill A.a. to make absinthe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gwydion Stone Report post Posted August 29, 2007 No preemptive sniping. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psi3000 Report post Posted August 29, 2007 (edited) No preemptive sniping. I am asking these questions for information purposes only! You will not see me posting "how do i "s. Im here for information only, just like the rest of you in the USA. Edited August 29, 2007 by psi3000 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stroller Report post Posted August 29, 2007 I think Dakini Painter just has a dry sense of humor. I like that! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gwydion Stone Report post Posted August 29, 2007 You would. psi3000, I suggest you drop the subject while you're ahead. And please refrain from quoting the post above yours. Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psi3000 Report post Posted August 30, 2007 (edited) Here are some pics I took. Can someone tell me if they are A.a. please? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Edited August 30, 2007 by psi3000 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Verte Report post Posted August 30, 2007 NOT absinthium. I have no idea what it is. I don't even know if it's in the same genus. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psi3000 Report post Posted August 30, 2007 does anyone know any place in PA or NJ to see A.a? A state park or public place? I would really like to see some in the wild and see how it grows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gwydion Stone Report post Posted August 30, 2007 I found some good pictures of artemisia absinthium here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psi3000 Report post Posted August 30, 2007 yeh thats the first place i looked. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auguru Report post Posted August 30, 2007 Auguru, you say that that is a pic of Powis Castle? But it has flowers.... I thought Powis Castle did not have flowers.... Also is long, are you sure you posted a pic of Powis Castle and not A.a.? It is indeed PC. I posted a pic of the plant from earlier in the summer, but will include it again, here: By August, it had become much taller/leggy and flowered! I wasn't expecting the flowering to occur, but there it was! Of note, two other PC plants (one in a pot and the other in the flower bed in my front yard) have no sign of flowers. All three are second year plants, but I guess the extra pampering I gave the one in the photo (re-potted, a little extra fertilizer...) paid off. I got all of the PC from a local nursery. The A.a. I got from Mountain Valley Growers. It didn't flower much the first year, but this second year was terrific. I'll post successive images of the flower parts of the A.a. and the PC for comparison. Pretty hard to tell apart, but you may notice the PC is a little greener and has more finely divided leaves. Afraid I didn't get pics any better than these. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auguru Report post Posted August 30, 2007 Here is the A.a.: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auguru Report post Posted August 30, 2007 Here is the Powis Castle: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gwydion Stone Report post Posted August 30, 2007 I assume you tasted the flowering PC to see if perhaps it had been mislabeled? A few years ago I bought a flat of small Aa and two of them turned out to be PC. No blooms though. I guess there's always the possibility that it hybridized again when a Lambrook Silver crossed with a Powis Castle at the nursery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psi3000 Report post Posted August 30, 2007 PC doesnt have flowers. I have seen this on two different sources. Then again this is only what I have read. Those to look one and the same. Mabe the local nursery had A.a. when they thought they had PC. I have some PC and it is a short little bush. Then again like I said. I dont have any A.a. to hold it up against. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psi3000 Report post Posted August 30, 2007 hehe, Hiram and I posted at the same time almost. The last post was ment to be before Hiram for Auguru. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auguru Report post Posted August 30, 2007 I don't know what to say. I know the PC was purchased at a reputable local nursery (Pike's) and had a distinct grower's label on it (I'll try to dig it up tomorrow). The leaves are more delicate/finely divided than the A.a. and the scent is notable different. Again, I wasn't expecting it to bloom, but it is not unheard of from my own reading, just uncommon. My other two PC plants are showing no signs of blooming, but they did not come back as robust as this one did this year. Anybody else have a PC bloom? I really don't think I could have mixed them up (as I mentioned before, I only obtained two A.a. plants last year and one of them died). This particular PC plant did not grow from seed at my hands, rather came back from the potted parent plant I obtained last year. Folks at Dave's Garden report it blooming, but show no photos... It is curious to me that when these plants "shot up" to form the blooms, they began to look more alike, but when they were in their early/mid Spring growth phase they looked quite different. Sadly, I have close-up photos of the A.a. foliage, but my PC shots are a little too far back for a really good comparison. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Le Gimp Report post Posted August 30, 2007 I've raised both PC, AA and Dusty Miller (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium a local favorite) and the PC did indeed bloom. It remained smaller than AA and larger than the Dusty Miller. The PC smell is distinctly different from AA. The PC was from a certified nursery with the plastic identifier with it. The AP was too tall and the DM didn't do well so I switched to Lambs Ear (Stachys byzantina) as the border to one of my flower beds where I was using them. The Lambs ear has some of the same silver color as the AP and DM do. It produces red flowers in late spring. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. LaBlanc Report post Posted August 30, 2007 PSI, Looks like common Ragweed to me. But what do i know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psi3000 Report post Posted August 31, 2007 Is this A.a? Or is it some other type in the same family? please let me know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gwydion Stone Report post Posted August 31, 2007 Nope. Not even close. Honestly, I think ragweed looks more like absinthium than that stuff does. It has different growth habits from one clime to another, but not that different. It's silvery greyish green. Have a good look at those google images again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psi3000 Report post Posted August 31, 2007 (edited) I new it! As soon as I got it I chewed two leaves, it wasn't bitter at all. Back to the drawing board.... Edited August 31, 2007 by psi3000 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Legate Report post Posted September 2, 2007 Colorado has a plan. I didn't know it could kill you just by looking at it! Maybe if they didn't leave off the (e) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites