Artemisia cina Berg ex Poljakov (1959: 69)

Jin, Guang-Zhao, Sheludyakova, Mariya, Abduraimov, Ozodbek, Feng, Ying & Ge, Xue-Jun, 2025, A Taxonomic Revision of Artemisia Subgenus Seriphidium (Asteraceae-Anthemideae) in China, Phytotaxa 686 (1), pp. 1-103 : 12

4. Artemisia cina Berg ex Poljakov (1959: 69) ≡ Seriphidium cinum (Berg ex Poljakov) Poljakov (1961b: 176) . Type:— KAZAKHSTAN. Turkistan Region: 40–60 km southeast of Turkestan Railway Station, 30 August 1946, P. Poljakov s.n. (holotype: LE00052856!). = Artemisia mogoltavica Poljakov (1955: 416) ≡ Seriphidium mogoltavicum (Poljakov) Ling (1991a: 12) . Type:— TAJIKISTAN. Sughd region: Khojand, near Molgatau Mountains, 21August 1952, P. Poljakov 315 (lectotype designated here: LE00053705!; isolectotype:

LE00053706!).

Subshrubs, 20–40 cm tall. Stems few or numerous, erect, branching from the middle, branches 5–10 cm long, obliquely upward. Lower stem leaves ovate, 2-pinnatisect, 3–6 cm long, 1.5–4.5 cm wide, petiole 2.5–4.0 cm long, with 3–4 segments per side, segments further pinnatisect, lobules narrowly linear-lanceolate, 3–8 mm long, 0.5–1.5 mm wide, with acuminate tips. Middle stem leaves 1–2-pinnatisect, 2–4 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, nearly sessile, with linear pseudostipules. Upper stem leaves pinnatisect, 2–3 cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide. The grayish-white tomentum on stems and branches almost completely sheds at maturity, all leaves are nearly glabrous and have a rigid texture, and the lower and middle stem leaves usually wither. Capitula ellipsoid-ovoid or ovoid-oblong, erect, 2–3 mm long, 1.5–2 mm in diameter, numerous and densely clustered. Synflorescence a narrow panicle. Phyllaries in 4–5 series, outer phyllaries small, ovate, abaxially green, subglabrous, with membranous margins, middle and inner phyllaries elliptic or elliptic-ovate, glabrous, margins broadly membranous. Bisexual florets 3–5, corolla yellow or red. Anthers linear, with linear-lanceolate apical appendages, base with a short pointed tip. Styles nearly as long as the corolla, slightly bifurcated at the apex, ciliate. Achenes with inconspicuous fine longitudinal lines, 0.8–1.5 mm long, 0.3–0.8 mm in diameter, ovoid.

Distribution and habitat:— Artemisia cina is cultivated in China and is native to Kazakhstan. It grows in flat plains, ravines, terraces above the floodplains, and saline soils at elevations of 400–1500 m.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting from August to October.

Taxonomic notes:—This species is easily distinguished from the others within A. subg. Seriphidium by its extremely numerous and densely packed capitula. Some authors reported that this species is cultivated in parts of NW, N and NE China ( Ling 1991 b, Wei 1999, Ling et al. 2011), but only a few specimens have been examined.

Specimens examined:— China. Liaoning: Faku, Shenyang Medical University , s.a., 1973, M.H. Zhou 2340 ( IBSC); ibid., s.a., 1973, M.H. Zhou 2341 ( IBSC) .