Jepson eFlora: Key page
Vascular Plants of California
Key to families | Table of families and genera

Key to Artemisia

View taxon page for Artemisia

(For a list of species in Artemisia, use the above link.)

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Annual to  herb, base sometimes woody  clusters generally 0

2. Rhizome present

3. Leaves generally 1–8 cm wide, ± glabrous to sparsely  adaxially, glabrous or hairy abaxially; stems 3–25 dm

4. Proximal-most leaves 2-pinnately divided, lateral  ; leaves generally glabrous adaxially, tomentose (or becoming glabrous) abaxially

5. Plant sage-scented (not lemony); phyllaries gray-green, densely tomentose ..... A. ludoviciana subsp. incompta

5' Plant strongly lemon-scented; phyllaries often ± purple and dotted with yellow glands, generally ± glabrous ..... A. michauxiana

4' Leaves  to pinnately lobed, lateral lobes  to acute, glabrous to ± sparsely tomentose adaxially, densely tomentose abaxially

6. Involucre bell-shaped, 2–4 mm diam; phyllaries gray-hairy, ± widely (ob)ovate; flowers > 15; leaves green to gray-green adaxially; widespread ..... A. douglasiana

6' Involucre narrow, <= 2 mm diam; phyllaries ± yellow, glabrous to sparsely hairy,  to ± ; flowers < 15; leaves dark green adaxially; NCo, s ChI ..... A. suksdorfii

3' Leaves 0.5–1(4) cm wide, densely gray-hairy (or becoming ± glabrous adaxially); stems 2–8(12) dm ..... A. ludoviciana

7. Inflorescence generally open, occasionally dense and narrow; leaves generally 1–2 cm ..... subsp. albula

7' Inflorescence dense, narrow; leaves generally 2–11 cm

8. Leaves entire to toothed or shallowly lobed ..... subsp. ludoviciana

8' Leaves deeply 1–2-divided into narrow lobes

9. Involucre 4–5 mm, 4–7 mm diam; leaves gray-white-tomentose ..... subsp. candicans

9' Involucre 2.5–4 mm, 3–5 mm diam; adaxial leaf face often green ..... subsp. incompta

2' Rhizome 0

10. Stem hairy, branched from base, from  leaf cluster

11. Leaves densely hairy; phyllaries densely gray-hairy, margins widely scarious; coastal ..... A. pycnocephala

11' Leaves glabrous to densely silky-hairy; phyllaries sparsely hairy, margins dark or scarious; montane

12. Phyllary margins scarious;  3.5–4 mm diam; biennial or perennial herb from taprootheads generally  in spike- or narrowly panicle-like clusters ..... A. borealis subsp. borealis

12' Phyllary margins ± black; involucre (4)7–11 mm diam; perennial herb from branched ; heads nodding, slender-peduncled in raceme-like or few-branched, panicle-like cluster ..... A. norvegica subsp. saxatilis

10' Stem generally glabrous, , basal leaves 0

13. Biennial or perennial herb; leaves entire to 1-pinnately lobed

14. Leaves , entire or with few linear lobes; heads disciform, disk flowers staminatereceptacle epaleate; widespread ..... A. dracunculus

14' Leaves deeply and coarsely pinnately 3–7-lobed; heads discoid; receptacle paleate; SCo, PR ..... A. palmeri

13' Annual or biennial; stem erect; leaves 2–3-pinnately divided

15. Heads nodding; annual, aromatic; leaves 2–3-pinnately divided ..... [A. annua]

15' Heads erect; annual or biennial, unscented; leaves 2-pinnately divided ..... A. biennis

1' Subshrub or shrub; axillary leaf clusters present

16. Plant spiny, compact; inflorescence short, heads ± hidden by leaves; leaves palmately 2–5-divided; flower spring/early summer ..... A. spinescens

16' Plant unarmed, compact to tall; inflorescence long, heads not hidden by leaves; leaf lobes 0–5; flowering late summer/fall

17. Leaves (1)2–10 cm, linear, often ± thread-like or lobes <= 3 mm wide, generally > 1 cm

18. Leaf segments generally < 1 mm wide, margins curled under; CW, SW ..... A. californica

18' Leaf segments 1–3 mm wide, flat; s ChI ..... A. nesiotica

17' Leaves 0.3–2(6) cm, generally oblong or wedge-shaped (to linear), generally > 3 mm wide, entire to shallowly 3-lobed at tip, lobes < 1 cm

19. Heads nodding; leaves not clustered, entire or teeth or lobes 3, sharply pointed – W&I, DMoj ..... A. bigelovii

19' Heads erect; leaves often in axillary clusters, entire or teeth 3(6), rounded to acute

20. Leaves generally linear, entire, winter-deciduous; heads generally > 5 mm wide ..... A. cana subsp. bolanderi

20' Leaves generally wedge-shaped, generally 3-toothed or -lobed (entire or 6-toothed in Artemisia spiciformis), persistent in winter; heads generally < 5 mm wide (4.5–6 mm in Artemisia spiciformis)

21. Plant generally < 4 dm; inflorescence narrow, generally < 3 cm wide

22. Heads short-peduncled; involucre generally 1–2 mm diam

23. Phyllaries shiny-resinous, straw-colored; leaves of flower-stems generally entire ..... A. nova

23' Phyllaries densely gray-tomentose; leaves of flower-stems (at least proximal) lobed ..... A. tridentata subsp. wyomingensis

22' Heads ± ; involucre 2–4.5 mm diam, gray-hairy ..... A. arbuscula

24. Flowers 3–6 per 

25. Leaves of flower-stem shallowly lobed or distal entire; involucre 3–4.5 mm diam ..... subsp. arbuscula

25' Leaves of flower-stem deeply lobed; involucre 2–3 mm diam ..... subsp. longiloba

24' Flowers 8–23 per head

26. Plant sticky-resinous; leaves evergreen ..... A. rothrockii (2)

26' Plant not sticky; leaves ± winter-deciduous ..... A. spiciformis (2)

21' Plant generally > 4 dm; inflorescence generally > 3 cm wide

27. Heads >= 3 mm diam; plant sticky-resinous; meadows, c&s SNH, SnGb, SnBr, n SNE, W&I ..... A. rothrockii (2)

27' Heads generally < 3 mm diam (generally 4.5–6 mm in Artemisia spiciformis); plant not sticky; mtns, dry valleys, widespread

28. Leaves entire to irregularly 3–6-toothed, partly deciduous; plant sprouting from roots; moist slopes, rocky meadows, SNH, W&I > 2000 m ..... A. spiciformis (2)

28' Leaves generally regularly 3-lobed or toothed at tip, wedge-shaped, evergreen; plant not root-sprouting; widespread ..... A. tridentata (in part)

29. Plants with a flat-topped crown; inflorescence rising above  vegetative portion, narrow, branches generally erect ..... subsp. vaseyana

29' Plants with a rounded crown; inflorescence amongst as well as surpassing distal-most vegetative branches, widely branching, branches erect to  or drooping

30. Inflorescence branches generally drooping; fruit hairy ..... subsp. parishii

30' Inflorescence branches erect to generally spreading; fruit glandular ..... subsp. tridentata

 

Please use this Google Form for Contact/Feedback

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

Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on .

We encourage links to these pages, but the content may not be downloaded for reposting, repackaging, redistributing, or sale in any form, without written permission from The Jepson Herbarium.