黑沙蒿 hei sha hao

Artemisia ordosica var. furva H. C. Fu; A. ordosica var. montana H. C. Fu; A. salsoloides Willdenow var. mongolica Pampanini, p.p.

Shrubs, 50-100 cm tall, with a strong woody stock, much branched, purple or later brown. Lowermost leaf blades 3-5(-7) × 2-4 cm, 1- or 2-pinnatisect, basal lobes 2- or 3-lobuled. Middle stem leaves ± sessile; leaf blade pinnatisect; segments 3 or 4 pairs, linear, 15-30 × 0.5-1 mm, straight or falcate. Uppermost leaves and leaflike bracts 3- or 5-sect or entire. Synflorescence a broad panicle, nodding or oblique. Involucre ovoid, 1.5-2.5 mm in diam. Marginal female florets 10-14. Disk florets 5-7, male. Achenes obovoid. Fl. and fr. Jul-Oct. 2n = 36*.

● Dunes, desert areas, dry slopes, desert steppes; low elevations to 1500 m. N Hebei, Nei Mongol, N Shanxi; cultivated in C and W Gansu, Ningxia, N Shaanxi, and Xinjiang.

Artemisia ordosica is used for windbreaks and sand stabilization. It is also used for making anti-inflammatory drugs.