Artemisia aleutica Hultén:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Presently known from only two locations in the Rat Island group of the western Aleutian Islands, and probably restricted to this area.

Perennials, 5–10 cm (cespitose), mildly aromatic; caudices branched. Stems usually 1, reddish brown to gray, tomentose to glabrate. Leaves persistent, mostly basal, gray-green; (petioles often expanded) blades (at least proximal) obovate, 1.5–5 × 0.5–1 cm, 2-palmately lobed, lobes relatively narrow, apices acute, faces densely white-villous (brownish in age); cauline smaller, distally 1-ternate. Heads (sessile or peduncles 2–15 mm) in racemiform or spiciform arrays, 1.5–3 × 0.5–1 cm. Involucres hemispheric or globose, (2–)5–7 × (2–)6–8 mm. Phyllaries villous. Florets: pistillate 4–6; functionally staminate 15–30; corollas purplish red, 1.5–2 mm, hairy. Cypselae oblong, ca. 1 mm, faintly nerved, glabrous.

Comments: Open fellfields on windswept, gravelly ridges with sparse vegetaton. The species occurs as scattered, white, often sterile rosettes on seemingly barren patches between heath vegetation.

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 1 - 5

Comments: It is likely that several new EO's will be added when the Rat Islands are more fully explored.

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N1 - Critically Imperiled

Rounded Global Status Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled

Reasons: Known only from 2 adjacent islands in the western Aleutian Islands. Only 2 populations are confirmed extant. Population numbers appear to be relatively low (fewer than 3,000 individual plants in total), and the populations are in areas of high natural disturbance.

Environmental Specificity: Narrow. Specialist or community with key requirements common.

Comments: Restricted to windswept fellfields.

Global Short Term Trend: Unknown

Comments: Not known, but no dramatic changes reported in recent years.

Global Long Term Trend: Unknown

Comments: Not known, but likely to be relatively stable.

Comments: Threat is from small population in highly restricted area, with high degree of natural disturbance (wind swept fellfield).

Artemisia aleutica is known only from the western Aleutian Islands. It is morphologically similar to A. borealis. and the relationships of these species complexes warrant further study.

Comments: Distinct species with affinites to A. richardsoniana Besser (B87MUR01AKUS).