Plant of the day is Artemesia solsoloides

Plant of the day is Artemesia solsoloides

Me taking the next picture you see below.  Trippy.

Photo Credit: Derek Lyle

A few firsts for plant of the day today.  Apologies about the hiatus but it's been a busy couple of months.  A return to normalcy is expected imminently.  This is the first plant of the day that I'll be in a photo with the plant.  There are no creative commons images for these plants and there should be.  Please cite https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ if using.  

Taxonomy etc.:  This is apparently another playground for taxonomists.  Accepted species range from 200 to 400.  That large of a gap tells me I really don't want to get into things.  Certainly worth noting that it is a member of the Asteraceae family which, as we've recently discussed, is a massive family.  Artemisia is, of course, most recognized for its oils.  Other species, going to use common names, include wormwood, mugwort, tarragon, and sagebush.  Yes, there is a Artemisia absinthium.  Artemisia dracunculus or tarragon is popular in French cuisine.  The tidbit I really like is that some taxonomists have tried to split the genus further but phylogenetic evidence disproves this.  You may have heard me mention phylogentic evidence a time or two before but it is extremely important and valuable in the classification of plants.  It adds a much more discerning layer to classification.  Where traditionally classification was based solely on morphological characteristics, now we have the ability to look at the actual genetic heritage of plants.  It's truly a great time for plant science.  /nerdoff.

                                     

Very calcareous.  

Description:  A perennial that is considered a "basally woody shrublet" with sulcate stems.  Sulcate is a new one for me.  It means "marked with parallel grooves".  Groovy.  Leaves are, for all practical purposes, sessile.  Inner phyllaries have wide scarious-hyaline margins.   Scarious = dry and brownish in color.  Hyaline = almost like glass.  Basically, the involucre bracts are brown and see through.  As the great Donald Rumsfeld put it, "It's a definitional issue".  One of the best players.

If you really want to see the description of the plant enjoy it at the Flora of Pakistan.  Another fine offering from the Missouri Botanical Garden.  They do good things.

A little up close detail

Photo Credit: Derek Lyle

Range/Cultivation:  Found throughout much of Russia, Southern Ukraine, and Caucasus as well as Pakistan and China.  Thrives on very rocky, very well drained calcareous (alkaline) soil.  VERY well adapted to drought as you can see from the images the kind of environment it lives in.  These are images taken from its native habitat just outside Sherbakovsky Nature Park in Russia.  This is on the banks of the Volga River, which you can barely see in the photo above.  Scroll down for a real treat of a shot of the Volga.  Given its latitude it is also very tolerant of low winter temperatures.  I would surmise that it would be hardy in a number of United States climates given appropriate soil considerations.

Great color against the grey white landscape

Photo Credit: Derek Lyle

 Etc.: It was over 90F as we trekked through these areas.  Sadly, I had packed for Russia this time of year and brought all long sleeve shirts and jeans.  It was unseasonably warm unfortunately.  A swim in to Volga was sounding very appealing.

You're going to want to click this for the full affect.

Photo Credit: Derek Lyle