Flora of North America species comparison

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Artemisia subg. Artemisia

Artemisia michauxiana

lemon sagewort, Michaux' wormwood, Michaux's mugwort, Michaux's wormwood
Habit Annuals, biennials, or perennials (shrubs in A. californica, subshrubs in A. nesiotica); usually fibrous-rooted, sometimes taprooted, caudices sometimes woody, rhizomes sometimes present. Perennials, 30–100 cm, strongly aromatic (lemon-scented; rhizomatous).
Stems

usually not wandlike (wandlike in A. californica, A. nesiotica, A. palmeri).

relatively many, erect, green, simple, glabrous.
Leaves

usually deciduous, rarely persistent, basal (rosettes) and/or cauline (not in fascicles).

cauline, green;

blades broadly lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 1.5–11 × 1–1.5 cm, 2-pinnately lobed, (ultimate lobes toothed), faces white-tomentose (abaxial) or glabrous (adaxial), yellow-gland-dotted.
Involucres

campanulate, 3(–4) × 2–5.5 mm.
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.

pistillate 9–12;

bisexual 15–35;

corollas yellow, 1–1.5 mm, glandular.
Phyllaries

(yellow-green, rarely purplish) broadly ovate, glabrous or sparsely hairy, yellow-gland-dotted.
Heads

usually disciform (discoid in A. nesiotica and A. palmeri).

(erect to nodding, peduncles 0 or to 10 mm) in paniculiform to spiciform arrays 8–15 × 1–1.5 cm.
Cypselae

(yellow to light brown) ellipsoid, ca. 0.5 mm, glabrous or glandular.
2n

= 18, 36.

Artemisia subg. Artemisia

Artemisia michauxiana
Phenology Flowering mid summer–early fall.
Habitat Talus slopes, alpine and subalpine drainages
Elevation 1900–3700 m (6200–12100 ft)
Distribution
Widespread in Northern Hemisphere; especially North America; Europe; and central and northern Asia; sporadic in South America and northern Africa
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; YT
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Discussion

Species ca. 220 (27 in the flora).

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

Members of the Artemisia ludoviciana complex with deeply lobed leaves are sometimes confused with A. michauxiana, and there is evidence that plants hybridize in some locations. Artemisia michauxiana is distinguished by its glabrous, bright green to yellow-green foliage and lemony-sweet fragrance.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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)
A. 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)
A. californica
3. Subshrubs (10–60 cm, stems mostly prostrate); leaves 3-lobed (lobes 1–2 mm wide); Channel Islands, California
A. 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
A. annua
5. Annuals or biennials, (10–)30–80(–150) cm, not aromatic; leaves 1–2-pinnately lobed; arrays of heads 2–4 cm diam
A. 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)
A. 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).
A. globularia
9. Involucres 3–4 × 3.5–5 mm; phyllaries lanceolate (margins white); corollas yellow, glabrous or pilose
A. 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
A. 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.
A. alaskana
12. Plants (5–)10–40 cm; leaves 1–3-palmately lobed
A. 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)
A. 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
A. laciniata
14. Peduncles to 50 mm
A. 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
A. 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
A. ludoviciana
18. Involucres 3.5–4 mm; phyllaries (violet-brown) sparsely tomentose (w North America)
A. tilesii
19. Phyllaries glabrous or sparsely hairy (coast, n California to British Columbia)
A. 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).
A. 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)
A. serrata
21. Leaves mostly deeply lobed (lobes 4–20 mm; mostly e North America, introduced w coast)
A. 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)
A. stelleriana
23. Leaves bright green, lobes acute (not coastal dunes)
→ 24
24. Involucres (4–)5–8 × 4–10 mm; 0–3800 m
A. norvegica
24. Involucres 2.5–3.5 × 2–4.5 mm; 100–2400 m
A. packardiae
25. Plants 30–100 cm, lemon-scented; heads usually erect (subalpine and alpine).
A. 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.
A. pontica
26. Biennials or perennials (erect)
→ 27
27. Leaves pinnatifid (lobes 3–5, 0.5–1 mm wide); grasslands or deserts, 600– 2900 m
A. carruthii
27. Leaves 2–3-pinnately lobed (lobes elliptic, 2–6 mm wide); w mountains, 2200–3100 m
A. franserioides
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 520. FNA vol. 19, p. 530.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Anthemideae > Artemisia Asteraceae > tribe Anthemideae > Artemisia > subg. Artemisia
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. 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
Subordinate taxa
A. abrotanum, A. alaskana, A. annua, A. biennis, A. californica, A. carruthii, A. douglasiana, A. franserioides, A. furcata, A. globularia, A. glomerata, A. laciniata, A. longifolia, A. ludoviciana, A. michauxiana, A. nesiotica, A. norvegica, A. packardiae, A. palmeri, A. papposa, A. pontica, A. senjavinensis, A. serrata, A. stelleriana, A. suksdorfii, A. tilesii, A. vulgaris
Synonyms A. section Abrotanum A. discolor, A. vulgaris subsp. michauxiana
Name authority unknown Besser: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 324. (1833)
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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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