Artemisia schrenkiana Ledebour (1845: 575)

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 : 43-44

24. Artemisia schrenkiana Ledebour (1845: 575) ≡ Seriphidium schrenkianum (Ledebour) Poljakov (1961b: 172) . Type:— KAZAKHSTAN. Abai Region: Tarbagatai Mountain range, August 1840, A. Schrenk 980 [first-step lectotype designated by Filatova (1984); second-step lectotype designated here: LE01266938!; isolectotype: LE01266935!].

Perennial herbs, 30–60 cm tall. Stems few or numerous, erect or lower slightly curved upward at the base, often with numerous short nutritional stems, branching from middle or upper part, branches 5–15 cm long, obliquely upward. Lower stem leaves broadly ovate or oblong-ovate, 2–3-pinnatisect, 3–6 cm long, 1.5–2.5 cm wide, petiole 2–10 cm long, with 4–6 segments per side, segments further pinnatisect, lobules narrowly linear, 2–6 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, with obtuse-acute apices. Middle stem leaves long-elliptic, 2-pinnatisect, 2.5–5 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, with pinnatifid pseudostipules. Upper stem leaves 1–2-pinnatisect, 1–2.5 cm long, 0.5–1.5 cm wide, with linear lobules. The grayish-white tomentum on the stems and branches partially sheds at maturity, while the tomentum on all leaves persists and the leaves have a slightly soft texture. Capitula oblong or ellipsoid-oblong, 2–4 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm in diameter. Synflorescence a broad or somewhat broad panicle. Phyllaries in 4–5 series, outer phyllaries small, ovate or elliptic-ovate, middle and inner phyllaries slightly longer, oblanceolate, outer and middle phyllaries tomentose, margins membranous, inner phyllaries semi-membranous, abaxially subglabrous. Bisexual florets 5–6, corolla yellow or red. Anthers linear, apex appendages lanceolate, with a mucronate base. Style short, slightly forked distally at anthesis, tips truncate, ciliate. Achenes with inconspicuous fine longitudinal lines, ovoid or obovoid. Figure 35 .

Distribution and habitat:—This species is distributed in Xinjiang, China ( Figure 36 ). It grows in desert steppes, steppes, meadow steppes, riverbanks, lakeshores, terraces, canyons, saline-alkaline soils, and dunes at elevations of 100–1000 m.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting from August to October.

Taxonomic notes:—In the protologue of Artemisia schrenkiana, Ledebour (1845) mentioned that the species description was based on specimens collected by Schrenk in the Tarbagatai region ( Kazakhstan). Filatova (1984) later designated the gathering Schrenk s.n. at LE as the type. We have traced two sheets of this gathering in LE. Both sheets match perfectly the original description. According to Arts. 9.12 and 9.17 of the ICN ( Turland et al. 2018), Filatova’s (1984) lectotypification should be further narrowed. Therefore, sheet LE01266938 has been designated as the lectotype, and the other sheet as the isolectotype.

This species is similar to A. sawanensis but can be easily distinguished by its lower stem leaves, which are 2–3- pinnatisect (vs. 3–4-pinnatisect), with sparsely arranged segments (vs. compact) and a slightly sparse (vs. dense) indumentum on the stem at maturity.

Specimens examined:— China. Xinjiang: Tacheng, Yeksu , 440 m, 23 June 1959, A.R. Li & J.N. Zhu 10771 ( PE, XJBI) ; Tacheng, Nanhu Lake , 400 m, 20 September 1974, W.Z. Zhang et al. 4558 ( XJBI) ; Tacheng, Yemenle Town , 540 m, 20 July 1981, Krim 443 ( XJBI) ; ibid., s.a., 30 May 1965, Anonymous 869 ( XJBI) ; ibid., 450 m, 20 July 1981, Krim 441 ( XJBI) ; ibid., 450 m, 20 July 1981, Krim 445 ( XJBI) ; ibid., 450 m, 20 July 1981, Krim 438 ( XJBI) ; ibid., 450 m, 20 July 1981, Krim 447 ( XJBI) ; Tacheng , without precise location, 440 m, 19 July 1981, Krim 404 ( XJBI) ; Tacheng , without precise location, 440 m, 19 July 1981, Krim 405 ( XJBI) .

Figures

FIGURE 35. Artemisia schrenkiana (photographed by Guang-Zhao Jin). A. habit; B. habitat; C. capitula; D. stem leaves (from left to right: lower, middle and upper leaf).

FIGURE 36. Distribution map of Artemisia schrenkiana in China.