Wednesday, February 28, 2024

[Botany • 2023] Artemisia kargilensis (Asteraceae) • A New Species from Ladakh (Trans-Himalaya), India


Artemisia kargilensis L. Ali, A. A. Khuroo & A. H. Ganie, 

in AliKhuroo, Ganie et Islam, 2023. 

Abstract
A new species, Artemisia kargilensis, is described here from Ladakh (Trans-Himalaya), India. The new species can be distinguished from its allied congeners Artemisia salsoloides Willd. and A. saposhnikovii Krasch. ex Poljakov in having leaves sessile, leaf rachis winged, leaf segments linear to linear-lanceolate, capitula globose and upright, pedicel 2–5 mm long, bracteole linear, margins flat, apices acuminate, involucre 3-seriate, outermost phyllary ovate, innermost phyllary broadly obovate, number of marginal female florets 8–18, number of disc florets 16–28, and achenes obovoid.

Keywords: Artemisia, Asteraceae, biodiversity, flora, Himalaya, taxonomy

Photographs of Artemisia kargilensis.
 A. Habitat. B. Habit. C. Inflorescence. D. Leaf. E. Bracteole. F. Phyllaries. G. Capitula. H. Receptacle. I. Corolla (marginal female floret). J. Corolla (disc floret). K. Pistil (marginal female florets). L. Pistil (disc floret). M. Achene

Artemisia kargilensis L. Ali, A. A. Khuroo & A. H. Ganie, sp. nov.

 INDIA. Ladakh, Kargil district, Suru valley, ...

Artemisia kargilensis is most similar in morphological with A. salsoloides but differs in having habit 40–70 cm tall, leaf sessile (vs. subsessile), leaf rachis winged (vs. wingless), linear to linear-lanceolate (vs. linear to linear-oblong), marginal female florets 8–18, disc florets 16–28 (vs. marginal female florets 15–20, disc florets 10–14), capitula globose, upright (vs. oblong, upright to nodding), pedicel 2–5 mm long (vs. sessile to shortly pedicellate), bracteole linear, 2–6 mm long, margins flat (vs. oblong, 2–4 mm long, margins recurved), involucre 3-seriate (vs. 4-seriate), outermost phyllary ovate (vs. linear-oblong), innermost phyllary broadly obovoid (vs. ovoid to narrowly obovoid), and achenes obovoid (vs. oblong). In addition, the new species also varies in habitat elevational range of 2,300–3,200 m a.s.l. (vs. 2800– 3900 m a.s.l) (Fig. 4, Table 1).

Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the study area, i.e., Kargil, where from the taxon is described for the first time.


Liyaqat ALI, Anzar Ahmad KHUROO, Aijaz Hassan GANIE and Tajamul ISLAM. 2023. Artemisia kargilensis (Asteraceae), A New Species from Ladakh (Trans-Himalaya), India. Korean J. Pl. Taxon. 53(4); 294-300. DOI: 10.11110/kjpt.2023.53.4.294