Seriphidium brevifolium (Wall. ex DC.) Ling & Y. R. Ling

The plant is collected for extraction of santonin and used as a vermifuge by locals.

A basally woody shrublet with many, erect, strict, up to 35 (-50) cm tall, striate-costate, densely arachnoid greyish hairy to glabrous, greenish to brownish-yellow, rarely reddish vegetative nd flowering stems from upright, thick, much-branched woody rootstock. Leaves greyish-hairy; basal and lower stem leaves with 10 – 20 mm long petiole, lamina rotundate orbicular, 2 – 3 x 2 – 3.5 cm, 3-pinnatisect into narrowly linear, 2 – 5 (-7) x c. 0.5 mm, ± rigid, divaricate segments; middle and upper stem leaves subsessile to sessile, basally auriculate, gradually smaller upwards; uppermost in floral region undivided, linear. Capitula homogamous, sessile, erect, oblong-ovate, 3 – 4 (-4.5) x c. 1.5 mm, remote or contiguos, usually congested in glomerules of 2 – 6 towards branch apices, in narrow panicle with 1-3 cm long, obliquely erect or appressed branches or mostly raceme-like. Receptacle conical, glabrous. Involucre 5 – 6-seriate, phyllaries imbricate, outermost narrowly ovate, c. 2 x 1.5 mm, green, densely arachnoid hairy, hardly scarious margined, median and inner ones oblong-elliptic, c. 2.25 x 2 mm, obtuse, straw-colored with brownish tinge, laxly arachnoid hairy towards tip, broadly scarious margined, innermost oblanceolate-obovate, c. 3 mm long, obtuse. Florets 4 – 5, with c. 2.5 mm long, glandular corolla.

Distribution: N. E. Afghanistan, Pakistan (Chitral, Kashmir, Gilgit, Swat), and North Western India.

Fl. Per.: August-September.

Common above 2500 m in stony terrains with sandy soils and low humidity.

Artemisia brevifolia Wall. ex DC., Prodr. 6: 103. 1838; R. R. Stewart, Ann. Cat. Vasc. Pl. W. Pak. & Kashm. 715. 1972; Podlech in Rech. f., l. c. 212.; A. maritima non L.: Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 3: 323. 1881 pro parte; Kitam., Pl. W. Pak. & Afghan. 142. 1964 – pro parte; R. R. Stewart, l. c. 716.