Study of Morphology, Ecological and Geographical distribution of Artemisia scoparia Waldst. et Kit. in Basrah Province

الملخص

This study was conducted from 2021 to October 2022 through monthly field trips to selected stations: Hammar Musharif, Al-Tuba, Artawi, and Safwan (40 km), located in the southern desert of the Basra Governorate. During these visits, the distribution of Artemisia scoparia was determined, and its physical and chemical environmental conditions were examined using a questionnaire. These included air and soil temperature, air and soil humidity, soil pH, soil salinity, and soil organic matter content. In addition, morphological and taxonomic studies were conducted to confirm species identification. The highest air temperature recorded was 49 °C in July at the Safwan station, whereas the lowest was 10 °C in January at most stations. The soil temperature reached a maximum of 46.2 °C in August at Al-Tuba and a minimum of 12 °C in January at Safwan. Air and soil humidity showed their highest values in January at Hammar Musharif, reaching 62% and 10.2%, respectively. The lowest air humidity was 16% in June at Safwan, whereas the lowest soil humidity was 0.1% in September at Artawi. Soil pH values varied among stations, with the highest value of 8.58 recorded at Al-Tuba in July and the lowest value of 6.01 recorded at Hammar Musharif in December. Soil salinity reached its maximum value of 8.81 mg/L at Safwan in July, whereas the minimum value of 0.01 mg/L was recorded at Hammar Musharif in November and at Al-Tuba in December. The soil organic matter content was highest (0.13 g) in January at Hammar Musharif and lowest (0.01 g) at Artawi and Al-Tuba during most months. The species was widely distributed in scattered locations across the southern desert of Basra Governorate, particularly along the forty-kilometer line toward Safwan, as well as in Hammar Musharif, Artawi, and Al-Tuba, with isolated individuals occurring between these areas.