Flora of North America species comparison

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Artemisia bigelovii

Artemisia suksdorfii

Bigelow sage, Bigelow sagebrush, Bigelow sagewort, Bigelow's sage

coastal mugwort, coastal wormwood, Suksdorf sagewort, Suksdorf's mugwort, Suksdorf's sagewort, Suksdorf's wormwood
Habit Shrubs, 20–40(–60) cm (branched from bases, rounded), mildly aromatic; not root-sprouting. Perennials, 50–170(–200) cm, aromatic (rhizomes woody, coarse).
Stems

silvery, canescent (bark gray-brown).

usually 10+, erect, light brown, simple, usually glabrous.
Leaves

persistent, light gray-green;

blades narrowly cuneate, 0.5–3 × 0.2–0.5 cm, entire or 3(–5)-lobed (lobes 1.5–2 mm, less than 1/3 blade lengths, acute), faces silvery canescent.

cauline (sessile), bicolor (white and dark green);

blades lanceolate, 5–10(–15) × 1–5 cm (bases strongly tapered, attenuate), coarsely and irregularly lobed, faces tomentose (abaxial) or glabrous (adaxial).
Involucres

globose, 2–3 × 1.5–2.5 mm.

narrowly turbinate or globose, 1.5–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm.
Florets

pistillate 0–2 (raylike, laminae to 1 mm);

bisexual 1–3;

corollas 1–1.5 mm (style branches of ray florets elongate, exsert, epapillate, tips acute; of disc florets, short, truncate, papillate).

pistillate 2–5;

bisexual 2–7;

corollas yellow, 1.5–3 mm, glabrous.
Phyllaries

(8–15) ovate, canescent or tomentose.

(straw-colored to yellow-green, shiny) lanceolate, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
Heads

(usually nodding) in arrays 6–25 × 1–4 cm (branches erect, somewhat curved).

(erect) in crowded (proximally leafy), paniculiform or racemiform arrays 17–30 × (2–)4–5 cm (lateral branches stiff, erect).
Cypselae

(ellipsoid, 5-ribbed) 0.8–1 mm, glabrous.

ellipsoid, 0.8–1.5 mm, glabrous.
2n

= 18, 36, 72.

= 18.

Artemisia bigelovii

Artemisia suksdorfii
Phenology Flowering early summer–late fall. Flowering mid summer–fall.
Habitat Deserts, sandy or alkaline soils, rock outcrops Coastal habitats, often along roads or drainages
Elevation 1000–2500 m (3300–8200 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Artemisia bigelovii of the southwestern deserts is easily confused in the field with A. tridentata, even though it is well distinguished ecologically and morphologically. Systematic placement within subg. Tridentatae remains problematic. Presence of “ray” florets (though rare) and vestigial spines on the pollen (R. P. Wodehouse 1935) suggest a relationship with groups ancestral to Tridentatae. The species also has the unusual characteristic of lignified trichomes (L. M. Shultz 1986b). Further research may help to determine proper placement; its affinities may be with members of subg. Artemisia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Artemisia suksdorfii is similar morphologically to A. douglasiana; it has more and smaller heads, and glabrous phyllaries. The two species hybridize where their ranges overlap.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 512. FNA vol. 19, p. 533.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Anthemideae > Artemisia > subg. Tridentatae Asteraceae > tribe Anthemideae > Artemisia > subg. Artemisia
Sibling taxa
A. abrotanum, A. absinthium, A. alaskana, A. aleutica, A. annua, A. arbuscula, A. biennis, A. borealis, A. californica, A. campestris, A. cana, A. carruthii, A. douglasiana, A. dracunculus, A. filifolia, A. franserioides, A. frigida, A. furcata, A. globularia, A. glomerata, A. laciniata, A. longifolia, A. ludoviciana, A. michauxiana, A. nesiotica, A. norvegica, A. nova, A. packardiae, A. palmeri, A. papposa, A. pattersonii, A. pedatifida, A. pontica, A. porteri, A. pycnocephala, A. pygmaea, A. rigida, A. rothrockii, A. rupestris, A. scopulorum, A. senjavinensis, A. serrata, A. spiciformis, A. stelleriana, A. suksdorfii, A. tilesii, A. tridentata, A. tripartita, A. vulgaris
A. abrotanum, A. absinthium, A. alaskana, A. aleutica, A. annua, A. arbuscula, A. biennis, A. bigelovii, A. borealis, A. californica, A. campestris, A. cana, A. carruthii, A. douglasiana, A. dracunculus, A. filifolia, A. franserioides, A. frigida, A. furcata, A. globularia, A. glomerata, A. laciniata, A. longifolia, A. ludoviciana, A. michauxiana, A. nesiotica, A. norvegica, A. nova, A. packardiae, A. palmeri, A. papposa, A. pattersonii, A. pedatifida, A. pontica, A. porteri, A. pycnocephala, A. pygmaea, A. rigida, A. rothrockii, A. rupestris, A. scopulorum, A. senjavinensis, A. serrata, A. spiciformis, A. stelleriana, A. tilesii, A. tridentata, A. tripartita, A. vulgaris
Synonyms A. petrophila, Seriphidium bigelovii A. heterophylla, A. vulgaris var. littoralis
Name authority A. Gray: in War Department [U.S.], Pacif. Railr. Rep. 4(5): 110. (1857) Piper: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 42. (1901)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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