Comparison of morphological and anatomical characteristics among Artemisia species (Artemisia campestris, Artemisia carruthii, Artemisia dracunculus, Artemisia filifolia and Artemisia ludoviciana) in Kansas

Abstract

Artemisia species are members of a wide spread and diverse genus belonging to the family Asteraceae. Kansas has five different species of Artemisia. These include Artemisia campestris (field sagewort), Artemisia carruthii (sagewort), Artemisia dracunculus (tarragon), Artemisia filifolia (Louisiana wormwood) and Artemisia ludoviciana (sand sage). Most of the Artemisia species present in Kansas cover more than half of the state. In this study, I focus on a comparative analysis between the five species of Artemisia that are found in Kansas and the outgroup plant, Antennaria neglecta, based on the morphological and anatomic characteristics of roots, stems, leaves and inflorescences, including flowers, and use these differences to construct a phylogenetic tree. I collected my samples from the field and from the ESU and KANU herbaria. In the morphological study, I measured the parts of plant using a vernier caliper. For the anatomical study, I perpared fresh-fixed and refreshed samples and embedded the samples in paraplast, sectioned at 10 μm, and stained with safranin and fast green. There were no differences between the sections that from fresh sample of plant or dry samples from herbarium; I used fresh and dry sample of Artemisia ludoviciana to demonstrate that. I used 46 characteristics to construct a phylogenetic tree. I compared my tree to the molecular tree published by Watson et al. (2002). The two trees were congruent except Artemisia carruhii that was not included in the molecular tree, and I added it in my tree. I found that Artemisia ludoviciana and Artemisia filifolia are in the same clade as are Artemisia compestris and Artemisia dracunculus. Artemisia carruthii show a common ancestor with the Artemisia compestris and Artemisia dracunculus clade, and this clade and the Artemisia ludoviciana and Artemisia filifolia clade show a common ancestor closely related to the outgroup Antennaria neglecta.