Jepson Herbarium
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Vascular Plants of California
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Artemisia dracunculus

TARRAGON


Higher Taxonomy
Family: Asteraceae (Compositae)View DescriptionDichotomous Key
Common Name: SUNFLOWER FAMILY
Habit: Annual to tree. Leaf: basal and/or cauline, alternate, opposite, rarely whorled, simple to 2+ × compound. Inflorescence: 1° inflorescence a head, resembling a flower, of several types (see below), 1--many in generally +- cyme-like cluster; each head generally with +- calyx-like involucre of 1--many series of phyllaries (involucre bracts); receptacle of head flat to conic or columnar, paleate (bearing paleae = receptacle bracts) or epaleate; flowers 1--many per head. Flower: bisexual, unisexual, or sterile, +- small, of several types (see below); calyx 0 or modified into +- persistent pappus of bristles, scales, and/or awns; corolla radial or bilateral (0), lobes generally (0)3--5; stamens 4--5, filaments generally free, generally fused to corolla at tube/throat junction, anthers generally fused into cylinder around style, anther base generally rounded or cordate (deeply sagittate or with tail-like appendages), tip (= flattened appendage) generally projecting beyond pollen sac; pistil 1, 2-carpeled, ovary inferior, 1-chambered, 1-seeded, placenta basal, style 1, tip generally +- 2-branched (except in some staminate disk flowers), branch tips truncate or generally bearing +- brush-like appendages; stigmas 2, generally on adaxial faces of style branches. Fruit: achene (also called a cypsela) (drupe in Chrysanthemoides), cylindric to ovoid, sometimes compressed, generally deciduous with pappus attached.
Genera In Family: +- 1500 genera, 23000 species: worldwide, many habitats. Note: Flower and head types differ in form and sexual condition. A disk flower has a generally radial corolla, with a cylindric tube, expanded throat, and generally 5 lobes. Disk flowers are generally bisexual and fertile but occasionally staminate with reduced ovaries. Discoid heads comprise only disk flowers. A radiant head is a variant of a discoid head, with peripheral disk flower corollas expanded, often bilateral. A ray flower corolla is bilateral, generally with a slender tube and flattened petal-like ray (single lip composed of generally 3 lobes). Ray flowers are generally pistillate or sterile (occasionally lacking styles). Radiate heads have peripheral ray flowers and central disk flowers. Disciform heads superficially resemble discoid heads, with pistillate or sterile flowers that lack rays, together with or separate from disk flowers. A ligulate flower is bisexual, with a bilateral, generally ephemeral corolla and 5-lobed ligule. Liguliflorous heads comprise only ligulate flowers. See glossary p. 31 for illustrations of family characteristics. Echinops sphaerocephalus L., Gaillardia aristata Pursh, Gaillardia pulchella Foug., Hymenothrix loomisii S.F. Blake, Tagetes erecta L., Thelesperma megapotamicum (Spreng.) Kuntze are waifs. Melampodium perfoliatum Kunth, historic urban waif. Ageratum conyzoides L., Guizotia abyssinica (L. f.) Cass., Santolina chamaecyparisus L., orth. var. are rare or uncommon escapes from cultivation. Dyssodia papposa, Ismelia carinata (Schousb.) Sch. Bip. [Chrysanthemum carinatum Schousb.], Mantisalca salmantica (L.) Briq. & Cavill. are historical or extirpated waifs in California. Inula helenium L. not documented in California. Taxa of Aster in TJM (1993) treated here in Almutaster, Doellingeria, Eurybia, Ionactis, Oreostemma, Sericocarpus, Symphyotrichum; Chamomilla in Matricaria; Bahia in Hymenothrix; Cnicus in Centaurea; Conyza in Erigeron and Laennecia; Dugaldia in Hymenoxys; Erechtites in Senecio; Hymenoclea in Ambrosia; Lembertia in Monolopia; Osteospermum ecklonis in Dimorphotheca; Picris echioides in Helminthotheca; Prionopsis in Grindelia; Raillardiopsis in Anisocarpus and Carlquistia; Schkuhria multiflora in Picradeniopsis; Trimorpha in Erigeron; Venidium in Arctotis; Viguiera in Aldama and Bahiopsis; Whitneya in Arnica. Amauriopsis in TJM2 (2012) treated here in Hymenothrix; Arida in Leucosyris; Bahia in Picradeniopsis; Eucephalus in Doellingeria.
Unabridged Note: Largest family of vascular plants in California and of eudicots globally.
eFlora Treatment Author: David J. Keil, except as noted
Scientific Editor: David J. Keil, Bruce G. Baldwin.
Genus: ArtemisiaView DescriptionDichotomous Key


Common Name: MUGWORT, SAGEBRUSH, SAGEWORT
Habit: Annual to shrub, generally aromatic. Leaf: entire to +- lobed, glabrous to densely hairy; hairs glandular (resin-filled) or T-shaped, hollow. Inflorescence: heads discoid or disciform, in spike-, raceme-, or generally panicle-like clusters; involucre ovoid to hemispheric, generally concealing flowers; phyllaries in 1--several series, persistent, margins scarious; receptacle hemispheric to conic, generally epaleate, generally glabrous. Pistillate Flower: 0--many; corolla generally <= 2 mm, tubular, rarely short ray-like extension present. Disk Flower: 3--many, generally bisexual, sometimes staminate (ovary vestigial, style branches remaining erect or style unbranched, tip expanded, tack-shaped); corolla <= 2.5 mm, +- pale yellow, tube < throat, lobes short-triangular; anther tip acute-ovate to awl-shaped; style tips flat, truncate, hair-fringed. Fruit: < 2 mm, obovoid or fusiform, sometimes ribbed, glabrous, hairy, or resin-gland-dotted; pappus generally 0 or minute crown.
Etymology: (Greek: Artemis, goddess of the hunt, noted herbalist, Queen of Anatolia) Note: Reports of Artemisia campestris L. subsp. pacifica (Nutt.) H.M. Hall & Clem. for California unconfirmed. Artemisia arbuscula var. thermopola Beetle not in California. Artemisia absinthium L. often cultivated, may persist, perhaps naturalizing in northeastern California. Recent studies place Sphaeromeria in the Artemisia clade (Garcia et al. 2011 Amer J Bot).
eFlora Treatment Author: Leila M. Shultz
Reference: Shultz 2006 FNANM 19:503--534; Shultz 2009 Syst Bot Monogr 89:1--131
Artemisia dracunculus L.
NATIVE
Habit: Perennial herb 5--15 dm, from woody caudex, generally glabrous (except D), odorless or tarragon-scented. Stem: many, stiff, erect, brown. Leaf: basal and cauline, 1--7 cm, linear, entire or with few linear lobes, bright green, glabrous. Inflorescence: heads disciform, 2--3.5 mm diam, generally nodding, short-peduncled along branches of leafy, panicle-like cluster; phyllaries widely ovate, glabrous, light brown, membranous, margins widely transparent. Pistillate Flower: 14--25. Disk Flower: 8--20, staminate; style tip scarcely divided, +- tack-shaped. Fruit: 0.5--0.8 mm, glabrous. Chromosomes: 2n=18.
Ecology: Common. Many habitats, especially disturbed sites; Elevation: < 3400 m. Bioregional Distribution: CA (exc NCo, NCoRH, NCoRI, CaR); Distribution Outside California: to Alaska, northern Canada, north-central United States, northern Mexico, Eurasia. Flowering Time: Generally Aug--Oct
Jepson eFlora Author: Leila M. Shultz
Reference: Shultz 2006 FNANM 19:503--534; Shultz 2009 Syst Bot Monogr 89:1--131
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)

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Citation for this treatment: Leila M. Shultz 2012, Artemisia dracunculus, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=1188, accessed on December 03, 2024.

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on December 03, 2024.

Artemisia dracunculus
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©2007 Steve Matson
Artemisia dracunculus
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©2007 Thomas Stoughton
Artemisia dracunculus
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©2011 Barry Breckling
Artemisia dracunculus
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©2009 Neal Kramer
Artemisia dracunculus
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©2013 Steve Matson

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Geographic subdivisions for Artemisia dracunculus:
CA (exc NCo, NCoRH, NCoRI, CaR)
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map of distribution 1

(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurrence).






 

Data provided by the participants of the  Consortium of California Herbaria.

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Blue markers indicate specimens that map to one of the expected Jepson geographic subdivisions (see left map). Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location.
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CCH collections by month Flowering-Fruiting Monthly Counts

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa, if there are more than 1 infraspecific taxon in CA.
Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time (fruiting time in some monocot genera).