Tanacetopsis afghanica (Gilli) K. Bremer & C. J. Humphries

Decoction of flowers is used to cure blood pressure.

Perennial, up to 75 cm tall shrub with fibrous dilated marcescent bases of petioles enveloping the woody, 1 – 1.5 (-2) cm thick, upright parts of rootstock. Stems arachnoid hairy to glabrescent, beset with minute glands on the striate-sulcate internodes. Leaves glabrescent to sparsely arachnoid hairy and glanndular, pinnatisect; basal and lower shortly petiolate, ± amplexicaul to semi-amplexicaul, oblong to narrowly oblong, up to c. 25 cm long, 10 – 15 cm wide, deeply 3 – 4-pinnatisect into numerous, linear, 1 – 4 x 0.2 – 0.3 mm, cartilaginous mucronulate ultimate segments; middle and upper leaves subsessile to sessile, gradually reduced in size. Capitula numerous, 8-10 mm across, on short, densely woolly peduncles, in lax to dense corymbs or panicle of corymbs on 14 – 16 cm long axis. Involucre hemispherical, densely floccose at the base, phyllaries imbricate, outer narrowly deltoid-lanceolate, densely woolly and greenish outside, brownish-margined, inner broadly oblanceolate, broadly brownish-scarious on margins and at subacute apices. Florets bisexual, with c. 2 mm long, shortly 5-toothed, papillate glandular corolla tube. Cypselas oblong, slightly curved, c. 1 mm long, grayish white, 5-ribbed, minutely punctate glandulose. Pappus white, 0.2 – 0.4 mm long, divided near to the base.

Distribution: Afghanistan and Pakistan (Northern Areas).

Fl. Per.: July-August.

Chrysanthemum afghanicum Gilli in Feddes Repert. Sp. Nov. Veg. 68: 93. 1963; Tanacetum afghanicum (Gilli) Podlech in Rech. f., Fl. Iran. Comp. IV. 158: 127. t. 120. 1986.