Artemisia abrotanum (Southernwood) – Leonhart Fuchs New Kreüterbuch, 1543

File-size: 5400 x 8770 Pixel. 

This beautifully detailed digital reproduction of Artemisia abrotanum, commonly known as southernwood, is taken from Leonhart Fuchs’ influential herbal New Kreüterbuch (1543). A masterpiece of early botanical science and Renaissance printmaking, this illustration captures the elegant branching and fine, aromatic foliage of a plant long prized in traditional herbal medicine.

Southernwood was historically valued for its medicinal, aromatic, and insect-repelling properties, often planted in cottage gardens and used in herbal preparations and religious rituals. The Latin name Artemisia abrotanum L. appears alongside the old German name Stabwurtz, anchoring this piece in the linguistic and scientific tradition of its time.

Leonhart Fuchs, one of the founding fathers of modern botany, revolutionized botanical books with lifelike, scientifically accurate illustrations. This image is ideal for botanical enthusiasts, herbalists, historians, and admirers of antique scientific art.
A Historical and Educational rare glimpse into 16th-century herbal knowledge.