Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta
(c) aarongunnar, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by aarongunnar · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by leaves becoming smooth above distinctive.
Artemisia ludoviciana is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, Great Basin, and desert mountains in shrubland, woodland, and conifer forest at elevations to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces small greenish-white flowers in narrow clusters. Growing with upright stems 30 to 60 centimeters tall, it develops a distinctive white-tomentose leaf surface that becomes partially glabrous. Its leaves are complex, with proximal leaves 2 to 8 centimeters long featuring 1 to 2 divisions into lance-linear lobes, and distal leaves that are either entire or divided. The plant forms compact, narrow inflorescences with involucres 2.5 to 4 millimeters long, containing 15 to 30 disk flowers.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 19 sympatric species; leaves becoming smooth above distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: shrubland, woodland, conifer forest
Elevation: < 3500 m
Outside California: to Oregon, Montana, Colorado
Bloom period
Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta blooms Jul-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Salvia: Artemisia has tiny clustered flower heads in the sunflower family; Salvia has two-lipped tubular flowers in the mint family with square stems.; vs Ambrosia: Artemisia has fused anthers and typically silvery foliage; Ambrosia has free anthers and often deeply lobed green leaves.; vs Ericameria: Artemisia is aromatic with inconspicuous greenish heads lacking rays; Ericameria has bright yellow daisy-like heads with showy ray petals.; vs Pseudognaphalium: Artemisia has no seed bristles and woody stems; Pseudognaphalium has fluffy white pappus bristles and soft herbaceous stems.; vs Eschscholzia: Artemisia has tiny greenish clustered flower heads; Eschscholzia has large showy orange or yellow poppy flowers with 4 petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta native to California?
Yes. Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta bloom?
Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta blooms Jul-Sep.
What plant family does Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta belong to?
Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta is in the Asteraceae family, genus Artemisia.
What habitat does Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta grow in?
Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. incompta grows in shrubland, woodland, conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.