Artemisia tridentata

Artemisia tridentata, commonly called big sagebrush, Great Basin sagebrush or (locally) simply sagebrush, is an aromatic shrub from the family Asteraceae, which grows in arid and semi-arid conditions, throughout a range of cold desert, steppe, and mountain habitats in the Intermountain West of North America. The vernacular name "sagebrush" is also used for several related members of the genus Artemisia, such as California sagebrush (Artemisia californica).

Artemisia tridentata
Sagebrush growing in San Juan County, New Mexico

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Artemisia
Species:
A. tridentata
Binomial name
Artemisia tridentata
Natural range of Artemisia tridentata
Synonyms
Synonymy
  • Seriphidium tridentatum (Nutt.) W.A.Weber
  • Artemisia angusta Rydb.
  • Artemisia parishii A.Gray
  • Artemisia vaseyana Rydb.
  • Seriphidium vaseyanum (Rydb.) W.A.Weber

Big sagebrush and other Artemisia shrubs are the dominant plant species across large portions of the Great Basin. The range extends northward through British Columbia's southern interior, south into Baja California, and east into the western Great Plains of New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, and the Dakotas.

Several major threats exist to sagebrush ecosystems, including human settlements, conversion to agricultural land, invasive plant species, and wildfires.

Sagebrush provides food and habitat for a variety of species, such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope, grey vireo, pygmy rabbit, and mule deer. It is especially important to game animals during the winter.

Native Americans have used the plant medicinally. It is also useful as firewood.

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