Artemisia karatavica Krasch. & Abolin ex Poljakov (1954: 396)

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 : 55

4. Artemisia karatavica Krasch. & Abolin ex Poljakov (1954: 396) ≡ Artemisia tenuisecta var. karatavica (Krasch. & Abolin ex Poljakov) Poljakov (1961b: 598) ≡ Seriphidium karatavicum (Krasch. &Abol. ex Poljakov) Ling &Y.R. Ling in Ling (1988: 115). Type:— KAZAKHSTAN. South Kazakhstan Oblast: hillside of Karatao Mountain, 9 September 1951, P. Poljakov 277 (holotype: LE00052858!; isotypes: L3747626!, MW0885176!, P00852339!, PE01885479!).

Subshrubs, 35–60 cm tall. Stems numerous, often tufted, erect or slightly curved at the base, branching from the upper part, branches 5–10 cm long, obliquely upward. Lower stem leaves ovate, 2–3-pinnatisect, 2.5–5 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide, petiole 1–2 cm long, with 2–4 segments per side, segments further pinnatisect, lobules narrowly linear or linear-lanceolate, 4–8 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, apex acuminate. Middle stem leaves 1–2-pinnatisect, 1–2.5 cm long, 0.5–1.5 cm wide, nearly sessile, with pinnatifid pseudostipules. Upper stem leaves pinnatisect, with narrowly linear lobules. The grayish-white tomentum on the stems and branches almost completely sheds at maturity, the grayish-green tomentum on the leaves partially sheds, and the leaves have a rigid texture, while the lower and middle stem leaves usually wither. Capitula obovoid, 2–3.5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm in diameter. Synflorescence a narrow panicle, with capitula densely arranged on branches. Bisexual florets 3–7, corolla yellow.

Notes:— Poljakov (1954) described A. karatavica as a separate species, a taxonomic view recognized by many scholars ( Filatova 1966, 1984, 1986, 1993, Ling 1991, Wei 1999, Ling et al. 2011). However, in the Flora of the USSR, Poljakov (1961a) treated this species as a variety of A. tenuisecta Nevski (1937: 284) . Similarly, Nikitina (1965) accepted A. karatavica as a synonym of A. tenuisecta in the Flora of Kyrgyzstan. When examining their specimens (especially types) of A. karatavica and A. tenuisecta , significant difference was observed in the lower leaves (former: 2-pinnatisect leaves with apical lobules 4–6 mm long vs. latter: 3-pinnatisect leaves with apical lobules 2–3.5 mm long), branch length (former: 5–10 cm vs. latter: 2–3 cm) and capitula (former: crowded vs. latter: slightly sparse). Therefore, we support A. karatavica as a separate species.

In China, A. karatavica was first recorded in northwestern Xinjiang by Ling (1988). It was later included in the Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae ( Ling 1991b), Flora Xinjiangensis ( Wei 1999), and Flora of China ( Ling et al. 2011). However, no definitive specimens of this species from China were examined in this study. Additionally, a literature review on A. karatavica from countries bordering Xinjiang ( Poljakov 1954, 1961a, Nikitina 1965, Filatova 1966, 1984, 1986, 1993) revealed no records of its distribution in China. Consequently, we have excluded this species from the flora of China in this study.