Global phylogeny and taxonomy of Artemisia
- Bohan Jiao
- Meng Wei
- Guohao Niu
- Xiyang Chen
- Yifan Liu
- Guangyin Huang
- Chen Chen
- Jiye Zheng
- Jiahao Shen
- Daniel Vitales
- Joan Vallès
- Filip Verloove
- Andrey S. Erst
- Alexey P. Seregin
- Akiko Soejima
- Xuejun Ge
- Florian Jabbour
- Artem Leostrin
- Goro Kokubugata
- Wei Wang
- Tiangang Gao
2025-10-08
Developing robust phylogenies and comprehensive taxonomies for big plant genera is crucial for unlocking plant-derived solutions to global sustainability challenges. Artemisia , a big genus comprising ~500 species, holds immense medicinal and ecological importance. Despite decades of efforts, establishing a comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomy for global Artemisia has remained a formidable challenge. Here, we reconstruct the most comprehensive phylogeny of global Artemisia to date (394 species) using a gigamatrix approach. We also analyze evolutionary patterns of 20 morphological characters of Artemisia worldwide to evaluate their taxonomic utility. Based on these findings, we propose a global taxonomy for Artemisia , recognizing 24 sections in 8 subgenera, and placing 99.6% of accepted species (502/505). This study provides a robust framework to advance understanding of the evolution and ecology of Artemisia , and to promote the sustainable utilization of its rich resources. Meanwhile, it introduces an exemplary case for taxonomic research on big genera in the genomic era.