Sagebrush

Sagebrush (genus Artemisia), bitter, aromatic plant or shrub of the family Compositae or Asteraceae. They include annual, biennial and perennial plants. More than 100 species are known, chiefly from arid regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Fifteen species are native to Canada; 7 others are introduced (2 European, 4 Eurasian and one from Aleutian Islands).

The greatest variety of native sagebrushes occurs in the western mountains, where species that range from Alaska to California and Colorado are found. Several species range across the prairies and 2 species are transcontinental in Canada. Sagebrushes grow on dry plains, hills and rocky slopes.

Flower clusters, aggregations of heads that are usually loose and nodding and sometimes spikelike, appear in summer and autumn. Each head is a disc of few or many tubular florets. Fruit is small, hard and dry. Many sagebrushes are highly variable, and hybridization occurs freely. The genus includes wormwoods and tarragon. The common name derives from the characteristic, sagelike odour, and the genus is named for the Persian Queen of Caria, Artemisia.

See also PLANTS, NATIVE USES.

Links to Other Sites
The Plant List
Search this online database for information about one million plant species from around the world. Also, click on "major plant groups" at the bottom of the page to browse descriptions of species of interest. Fungi and algae are excluded. From the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the UK and the Missouri Botanical Garden in the US.

Species at Risk Public Registry
A searchable database of Canadian species at risk. Provides illustrated natural histories of each species as well as information about recovery programs, a glossary, and more. From Environment Canada.

Flora of North America
The FNA website features information on the names, taxonomic relationships, continent-wide distributions, and morphological characteristics of all plants native and naturalized found in North America north of Mexico.