ARTEMISIA INCULTA

Family:- COMPOSITAE/Sect. ARTEMISIA

Common Name:- None

Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Artemisia (Gr) Dioscorides' name for Artemis (Diana), wife of Mausolus,

of Caria, Asia Minor.

Inculta (L) Vulgar, common.

General description:- Perennial, intricately branched, suffrutescent perennial,

grey-canescent when young.

Stem:-

1) Slender up to 40 cm with short lateral branches.

Leaves:-

1) Rosette,1- or 2-pinnatisect.

2) Cauline, small, mostly, in axillary fascicles.

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence a broad panicle.

2) Capitula erect or nodding, 2.0-4.5 mm, oblong-campanulate.

3) Receptacle glabrous or sparsely pilose.

4) Florets 2-4, hermaphrodite.

5) Corolla reddish, glabrous.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes c. 1.5 mm, narrowly obovoid, obscurely ribbed.

Key features:-

1) Suffrutescent perennials.

2) Leaf segments narrower.

3) Cauline leaves not more than 10 mm, mostly in axillary fascicles.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Along roads in open, semi-natural woodland of Pinus halopensis ssp.

brutia on soft marly limestone. 0-100 m.

Distribution:- No other Greek records. - Also in Cyrenaica and perhaps elsewhere;

belonging to the A. herba-alba complex of Irano-Turanian steppe vegetaion.

Comment:- Plants from Gavdos have been inaccurately referred to A. herba-alba

Asso in previous floristic literature. They belong to a S Mediterranean and Irano-

Turanian complex in need of taxonomic revision. Plants from Cyrenaica are

apparently conspecific and indicate a phytogeographical connection across the

Libyan Sea. ⁽¹⁾

Flowering time:- In May.

Photos by:- Jenny Neal

1) Atlas of the Aegean Flora, Book 1 Arne Strid 2016