Artemisia capillaris var. acaulis Pampanini, p.p.; A. capillaris var. arbuscula Miquel; A. capillaris f. glabra Pampanini; A. capillaris var. sacchalinensis (Tilesius ex Besser) Pampanini; A. capillaris f. sericea (Nakai) Pampanini; A. capillaris var. sericea Nakai; A. hallaisanensis Nakai var. formosana Pampanini; A. hallaisanensis f. parvula Pampanini; A. hallaisanensis var. philippinensis Pampanini; A. hallaisanensis f. swatowiana Pampanini; A. sacchalinensis Tilesius ex Besser; Oligosporus capillaris (Thunberg) Poljakov.

Herbs, biennial or perennial, 30-80(-100) cm tall; rootstock vertical, woody; stems usually 1 to few, slender, erect, pale purplish or reddish brown, glabrous. Basal leaves silky hairy, shortly petiolate. Middle stem leaves almost sessile; leaf blade oblong-ovate, 2-4 × 1-2.5 cm, 1- or 2-pinnatisect; segments filiform, 8-12 × 0.3-0.5 mm, ± acute. Uppermost leaves and leaflike bracts simple, filiform with 1 or 2 basal auricles. Synflorescence a narrow to wide panicle, 10-30 × 5-15 cm; primary branches 8-20 cm, ascending, bearing 3-8 cm, ± patent secondary branches. Capitula many, shortly pedunculate to sessile, secund, approximate, nodding. Involucre ovoid, ca. 1.75-2.25 × 1-1.5 mm; phyllaries 3- or 4-seriate, laxly imbricate, glabrous; outermost ovate, ca. 0.75 mm, green with narrow membranous margin, ± acute; inner ones elliptic, ca. 1.25 mm, with broad membranous margin, obtuse. Receptacle conical, glabrous. Florets 8-12, yellow. Marginal female florets 3-5; corolla narrowly tubular, ca. 0.75 mm, 2-toothed. Disk florets 5-7, male; corolla narrowly conical, ca. 1.25 mm, 5-toothed, glandular. Achenes brown, oblong-ovate, ca. 0.8 mm.

Artemisia capillaris is well known as a source of diuretic and detoxifying medicines.

Humid slopes, hills, terraces, roadsides, riverbanks; 100-2700 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, E Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, E and S Shaanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, E Russia, Vietnam].