Annuals, biennials, or perennials (shrubs in A. californica, subshrubs in A. nesiotica); usually fibrous-rooted, sometimes taprooted, caudices sometimes woody, rhizomes sometimes present. Stems usually not wandlike (wandlike in A. californica, A. nesiotica, A. palmeri). Leaves usually deciduous, rarely persistent, basal (rosettes) and/or cauline (not in fascicles). Heads usually disciform (discoid in A. nesiotica and A. palmeri). Receptacles glabrous (paleate in A. palmeri). Florets: usually peripheral 3–20 pistillate and fertile (0 pistillate in A. nesiotica, A. palmeri); central (or all) 14–70 bisexual and fertile; corollas funnelform.

Distribution

Widespread in Northern Hemisphere, especially North America, Europe, and central and northern Asia, sporadic in South America and northern Africa

Discussion

Species ca. 220 (27 in the flora).

Selected References

Estes, J. R. 1969. Evidence for autoploid evolution in the Artemisia ludoviciana complex of the Pacific Northwest. Brittonia 21: 29–43.

Keck, D. D. 1946. A revision of the Artemisia vulgaris complex in North America. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, 25: 421–468.

Lower Taxa

Artemisia abrotanum, Artemisia alaskana, Artemisia annua, Artemisia biennis, Artemisia californica, Artemisia carruthii, Artemisia douglasiana, Artemisia franserioides, Artemisia furcata, Artemisia globularia, Artemisia glomerata, Artemisia laciniata, Artemisia longifolia, Artemisia ludoviciana, Artemisia michauxiana, Artemisia nesiotica, Artemisia norvegica, Artemisia packardiae, Artemisia palmeri, Artemisia papposa, Artemisia pontica, Artemisia senjavinensis, Artemisia serrata, Artemisia stelleriana, Artemisia suksdorfii, Artemisia tilesii, Artemisia vulgaris

Key

1	Subshrubs or shrubs (stems wandlike)	> 2
1	Annuals, biennials, perennials, subshrubs, or shrubs (stems sometimes brittle, not wandlike)	> 4
2	Plants 100–350 cm; leaves relatively deeply and coarsely pinnately lobed (lobes 3–7+; coastal California and Baja California)	Artemisia palmeri
2	Plants 10–250 cm; leaves pinnately lobed or 3-lobed	> 3
3	Shrubs (20–250 cm); leaves pinnately lobed (lobes 0.5–1 mm wide); California (chaparral)	Artemisia californica
3	Subshrubs (10–60 cm, stems mostly prostrate); leaves 3-lobed (lobes 1–2 mm wide); Channel Islands, California	Artemisia nesiotica
4	Annuals or biennials; leaves among heads (relatively deeply) lobed	> 5
4	Perennials, subshrubs, or shrubs; leaves among heads mostly entire	> 6
5	Annuals, 30–200(–300) cm, sweetly aromatic; leaves 2–3-pinnatifid; arrays of heads 10–20 cm diam	Artemisia annua
5	Annuals or biennials, (10–)30–80(–150) cm, not aromatic; leaves 1–2-pinnately lobed; arrays of heads 2–4 cm diam	Artemisia biennis
6	Perennials, subshrubs, or shrubs (not rhizomatous)	> 7
6	Perennials (usually rhizomatous, stems sometimes woody at bases)	> 15
7	Heads in capitate or dense, corymbiform arrays (plants cespitose)	> 8
7	Heads in paniculiform or racemiform arrays (plants not cespitose)	> 10
8	Leaves pinnately lobed; involucres 3–5 mm diam.; phyllaries lanceolate to ovate (margins white)	Artemisia senjavinensis
8	Leaves 1–2-palmatifid; involucres 3.5–11 mm diam.; phyllaries lanceolate (margins brown or white)	> 9
9	Involucres 3.5–6 × 6–11 mm; phyllaries lanceolate (margins brown); corollas yellow or reddish black, glabrous or glandular (not pilose).	Artemisia globularia
9	Involucres 3–4 × 3.5–5 mm; phyllaries lanceolate (margins white); corollas yellow, glabrous or pilose	Artemisia glomerata
10	Leaves entire, irregularly palmatifid, or palmately 3-lobed to 2-ternately lobed	> 11
10	Leaves 2–3-pinnatifid	> 13
11	Pappi coroniform; Idaho, Nevada, Oregon	Artemisia papposa
11	Pappi 0; Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut; Alaska, Washington	> 12
12	Plants 15–70 cm; leaves palmately 3-lobed to 2-ternately lobed.	Artemisia alaskana
12	Plants (5–)10–40 cm; leaves 1–3-palmately lobed	Artemisia furcata
13	Perennials or subshrubs, 50–170 cm (widely branched, stems brittle); leaf lobes less than 1 mm wide; heads erect; involucres 1.5–3 mm diam. (gardens, waste places, much of North America)	Artemisia abrotanum
13	Perennials, 10–50 cm (erect, stems not brittle); leaf lobes 1+ mm wide (margins coarsely toothed); heads nodding; involucres 4–10 mm diam	> 14
14	Peduncles 0 or to 10 mm	Artemisia laciniata
14	Peduncles to 50 mm	Artemisia norvegica
15	Leaves entire, serrate, toothed, or lobed (sinuses to 1/2 blade widths)	> 16
15	Leaves (relatively deeply) lobed (sinuses 1/2+ blade widths)	> 22
16	Plants 20–50(–80, rarely more) cm	> 17
16	Plants 50–300 cm	> 19
17	Leaves usually entire, sometimes toothed or lobed; involucres 4–5 mm diam	Artemisia longifolia
17	Leaves usually lobed, sometimes entire; involucres (1–)2–5 mm diam	> 18
18	Involucres 2–4(–5.5) mm; phyllaries (gray-green) densely tomentose	Artemisia ludoviciana
18	Involucres 3.5–4 mm; phyllaries (violet-brown) sparsely tomentose (w North America)	Artemisia tilesii
19	Phyllaries glabrous or sparsely hairy (coast, n California to British Columbia)	Artemisia suksdorfii
19	Phyllaries usually densely hairy	> 20
20	Leaves densely hairy (both faces, broadly lanceolate, mostly entire, the proximal lobed; w North America, mostly inland grasslands).	Artemisia douglasiana
20	Leaves (bicolor) hairy abaxially, glabrate or glabrous adaxially	> 21
21	Leaves serrate (teeth ca. 2 mm; inland grasslands and barren areas, high plains)	Artemisia serrata
21	Leaves mostly deeply lobed (lobes 4–20 mm; mostly e North America, introduced w coast)	Artemisia vulgaris
22	Leaves not bicolor (both faces bright green or silvery), lobes acute or rounded	> 23
22	Leaves bicolor (abaxial faces silvery, adaxial green), lobes acute	> 25
23	Leaves silver-gray, lobes rounded (coastal dunes)	Artemisia stelleriana
23	Leaves bright green, lobes acute (not coastal dunes)	> 24
24	Involucres (4–)5–8 × 4–10 mm; 0–3800 m	Artemisia norvegica
24	Involucres 2.5–3.5 × 2–4.5 mm; 100–2400 m	Artemisia packardiae
25	Plants 30–100 cm, lemon-scented; heads usually erect (subalpine and alpine).	Artemisia michauxiana
25	Plants 15–70 cm, not lemon-scented; heads usually nodding	> 26
26	Perennials (widely spreading, stems brittle); garden escapes, c, e North America.	Artemisia pontica
26	Biennials or perennials (erect)	> 27
27	Leaves pinnatifid (lobes 3–5, 0.5–1 mm wide); grasslands or deserts, 600– 2900 m	Artemisia carruthii
27	Leaves 2–3-pinnately lobed (lobes elliptic, 2–6 mm wide); w mountains, 2200–3100 m	Artemisia franserioides