Artemisia arbuscula

Nuttall

Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 398. 1841.

Common names: Low sagebrush
Endemic
Synonyms: Artemisia tridentata subsp. arbuscula (Nuttall) H. M. Hall & Clements Artemisia tridentata var. arbuscula (Nuttall) McMinn Seriphidium arbusculum
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 511. Mentioned on page 512, 514, 515.
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Shrubs, 10–30(–50) cm, aromatic; root-sprouting. Stems gray-green to brown, glabrate (diffusely branched from bases, brittle). Leaves (vegetative stems) persistent, gray-green; blades broadly to narrowly cuneate, 3–10 × 2–5 mm, lobed (lobes 3, oblong-linear, to 1/3 blade lengths, mostly 1–3 mm wide, flat, obtuse, laterals sometimes 2–3-fid; leaves on flowering stems deciduous, blades narrowly cuneate, deeply 3-lobed), faces densely hairy (not sticky resinous). Heads usually borne singly, rarely (1–4, erect, mostly sessile, in pedunculate clusters) in spiciform or paniculiform arrays 2–9 × 0.5–2 cm (branches slender). Involucres campanulate or globose-ovoid, (1.5–)2–4(–5) × 1.5–4.5 mm. Phyllaries (margins green) ovate (outer) to oblong, pubescent or tomentose. Florets 4–6(–10); corollas 1.5–2 mm, glabrous. Cypselae (light brown) 0.7–0.8 mm, resinous.

Distribution

V19-862-distribution-map.gif

Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

Artemisia arbuscula is one of the more perplexing species in the Tridentatae complex. Anatomic and morphologic characteristics suggest multiple hybrid origins for the subspecies. Deciduous leaves of flowering stems in plants that otherwise have persistent leaves suggest a hybrid origin involving plants of the A. tridentata and A. cana lineages. In most instances, populations of A. arbuscula appear to be reproductively stable. The disposition of Artemisia arbuscula subsp. longicaulis Winward & McArthur (with 2n = 54) has not been determined.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Involucres 2–4.5 mm diam.; usually in rocky soils; flowering mid–late summer Artemisia arbuscula subsp. arbuscula
1 Involucres 1.5–2.5 mm diam.; clays or stony soils; flowering early spring–late summer > 2
2 Leaves broadly cuneate (4–10 × 2–5 mm, often irregularly lobed, lobes rounded, middle lobes overlapping lateral lobes); usually in clay soils; flower- ing early spring Artemisia arbuscula subsp. longiloba
2 Leaves narrowly cuneate (5–10 × 3–6 mm, lobed, lobes 1/2+ blade lengths, laterals to 1 mm wide, of-ten acute); usually in stony soils; flowering mid–late summer Artemisia arbuscula subsp. thermopola
... more about "Artemisia arbuscula"
Leila M. Shultz +
Nuttall +
Tridentatae +
Low sagebrush +
Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. +
Artemisia tridentata subsp. arbuscula +, Artemisia tridentata var. arbuscula +  and Seriphidium arbusculum +
Artemisia arbuscula +
Artemisia subg. Tridentatae +
species +