Chickensage

deep sand on semi-stabilized mesquite hummock dunes on flat plain of the Hueco Bolson

young flowers

Syn. Artemisia spicata - Habitat: Nearly vertical limestone rock face, west exposed, full sun, fully exposed to precipitations, a windy place, precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 0-2 deg C, elevation 2.150 m (7.050 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Comment: There exists only a single place around Mt. Mangart - where it can be found in Slovenia. Enlisted in the Slovene Red List of rare and endangered species, marked by 'R' representing a rare species.

voucher #21401 low shrubs to 3 dm tall; an exact match for the holotype (Beetle 12631 RM) in leaf dissection, leaf morphogenesis in inflorescence, stature; not longiloba as not early flowering; not A. tripartita, which has a different inflorescence leaf morphogenesis.

Ann Howald brought this taxon to my attention. After studying this region for decades, Ann started paying attention to what looks a lot like Artemisia tridentata, and hence easily passed over. In the TJM2 key, this taxon keys out next to A. tridentate at the end of the Artemisia key. Ostensibly the key break is 'Leaves entire to irregularly 36-toothed, partly deciduous; plant sprouting from roots; moist slopes, rocky meadows, High Sierra Nevada, White and Inyo Mountains > 2000 m.'

long stemmed, erect shrubby perennials on sandy to silty clayish margin of intermittent ponding playa area divided by highway. Leaves small, to 2 cm. long, canescent, revolute. Plants with Grindelia oxyepis, Conyza coulteri.