Achillea fragrantissima (Forssk.) Sch.Bip.

First published in Flora 38: 13 (1855)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Medit. to Iraq and Arabian Peninsula. It is a subshrub and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit
Fragrant perennial, suffruticose, 50–100 cm tall
Morphology Leaves
Leaves oblong-linear to ovate, subobtuse, 2–10 × 1–4 mm, thick, appressed-tomentose, glabrescent, comb-like callose-serrate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula 30–60; involucre oblong to broadly ovate, 4–6 × 2.5–5 mm; phyllaries oblong, obtuse, canescent Capitula discoid, numerous in lax compound corymbs 1–3 cm across, sessile or pedicels up to 6 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corollas yellow.
Ecology
On desert plains, often in slight silty depressions and on sandi wadi banks, sandstone plateau and low sandstone hills, usually on sandy or gravelly places but also on silty flats encircled by limestone ridges; alt. (50–) 200–650 m;
Phenology
flowering & fruiting: (Mar.-)Apr.-May, but with dry flowers often remaining on the plants until autumn.
Distribution
Quite common in the Desert Region of Iraq. Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Sinai, Egypt, Arabia, Kuwait.
Vernacular
QAISŪM (Ir., Guest et al. 16068, Guest & Mahalhal 15257 – “sweet aromatic shrublet”).
[FIQ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
  • Flora of Iraq

    • Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. (Eds). (2013-2019). Flora of Iraq, Volumes 5.1, 5.2 and 6.0. Kew Publishing
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images