Chromosome counts in Asian Artemisia L. (Asteraceae) species:: from diploids to the first report of the highest polyploid in the genus

This work comprises 24 reports of chromosome numbers in 24 Artemisia L. species from Asia. Ten are included in the subgenus Dracunculus Besser and the rest belong to other subgenera. Seven counts are new reports, 14 are consistent with scarce previous ones, and three contribute new ploidy levels. That carried out in A. medioxima reports the highest ploidy level ever counted for the genus ( 16 x). There is only one species with x = 8 as the basic chromosome number. In the remaining x = 9-based species, ploidy levels range from 2 x to 16 x, illustrating the great role played by polyploidy in the evolution of the genus. (c) 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007.