Flora of North America species comparison

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Artemisia nesiotica

Artemisia bigelovii

island sagebrush

Bigelow sage, Bigelow sagebrush, Bigelow sagewort, Bigelow's sage
Habit Subshrubs, 10–60 cm (rounded), aromatic. Shrubs, 20–40(–60) cm (branched from bases, rounded), mildly aromatic; not root-sprouting.
Stems

relatively numerous, ascending or prostrate, gray, simple or branched (slender, wandlike, soft, bases woody and brittle), densely canescent.

silvery, canescent (bark gray-brown).
Leaves

cauline, gray-green;

blades linear-oblong, 3–5 × 1–2 cm, mostly 3-lobed (lobes 1–2 mm wide), faces gray-hairy.

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.
Involucres

broadly campanulate, 2.5 × 4–4.5 mm.

globose, 2–3 × 1.5–2.5 mm.
Florets

pistillate 0;

bisexual 20–50;

corollas pale yellow, 1.2–1.5 mm, glandular.

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).
Phyllaries

broadly ovate, densely hairy.

(8–15) ovate, canescent or tomentose.
Heads

(usually erect, sometimes nodding) in (leafy) paniculiform arrays 10–25 × 3–5(–7) cm.

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

(light brown) ellipsoid (ribbed), 0.5 mm, resinous.

(ellipsoid, 5-ribbed) 0.8–1 mm, glabrous.
2n

= 18, 36, 72.

Artemisia nesiotica

Artemisia bigelovii
Phenology Flowering mid–late summer. Flowering early summer–late fall.
Habitat Rocky slopes, often fog-shrouded hillsides Deserts, sandy or alkaline soils, rock outcrops
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft) 1000–2500 m (3300–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Artemisia nesiotica is known only from the Channel Islands of California. It differs from the closely related A. californica by its shorter stature, wider leaf lobes, and larger heads.

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

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.)
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 530. FNA vol. 19, p. 512.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Anthemideae > Artemisia > subg. Artemisia Asteraceae > tribe Anthemideae > Artemisia > subg. Tridentatae
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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
Synonyms Crossostephium insulare, A. californica var. insularis A. petrophila, Seriphidium bigelovii
Name authority P. H. Raven: Aliso 5: 341. (1963) A. Gray: in War Department [U.S.], Pacif. Railr. Rep. 4(5): 110. (1857)
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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