About Artemisia albicans Sòn.Garcia, Garnatje, Mc Arthur, Pellicer, S.C.Sand. & Vallès-Xirau
Artemisia albicans Sòn.Garcia, Garnatje, Mc Arthur, Pellicer, S.C.Sand. & Vallès-Xirau was recently proposed as the new scientific name for Sphaeromeria cana. This flowering plant belongs to the Asteraceae family, and its common name is gray chickensage. It is native to the western United States, occurring in the Sierra Nevada, the adjacent desert ranges of eastern California and Nevada, and Steens Mountain in Oregon. It grows in dry, rocky mountain habitats, such as rock cracks and crevices, including talus slopes located above the tree line. This species is an aromatic subshrub, with numerous erect branches that reach 30 to 60 centimeters in height. The plant is gray-green, and its entire surface is covered in woolly fibers. Its leaves are linear or lance-shaped; the lower leaves are divided into lobes. The inflorescence is typically a cluster of flower heads. Each flower head is lined with woolly phyllaries, and holds only yellow disc florets, with no ray florets present. The fruit produced is a ribbed achene that is around 2 millimeters long.
