Artemisia californica

Artemisia californica branches from the base and grows out from there, becoming rounded; it grows 1.5 to 2.5 meters (5–8 ft.) tall.  The stems of the plant are slender, flexible, and glabrous (hairless) or canescent (fuzzy).  The leaves range from one to 10 centimeters long and are pinnately divided with 2–4 threadlike lobes less than five centimeters long. Their leaves are hairy and light green to gray in color; the margins of the leaves curl under.The inflorescences are leafy, narrow, and sparse.  The capitula are less than 5 millimeters in diameter.  The pistillate flowers range in number from 6 to 10 and the disk flowers range from 15 to 30, and they are generally yellowish, but sometimes red.
The fruits produced are resinous achenes up to 1.5 millimeters long.  There is a pappus present that forms a minute crown on the body of the achene.The plant contains terpenes which make it quite aromatic. Many people regard the species to have a pleasant smell.

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Artemisia Californica

Artemisia californica

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