Common name:
Black sagebrush
Family:
Scientific name:
Artemisia nova
Synonym:
Artemisia arbuscula var nova
Main flower color:
Range:
Centered on the Great Basin, the Four Corners area and the central Rocky Mountains
Height:
Up to 20 inches
Habitat:
Exposed hillsides and valleys, from 5,000 to 7,500 feet
Leaves:
Wedge-shaped, up to 0.8 inches long, with three small, rounded lobes at the tip
Season:
July to November
Artemisia nova is a small, widespread and common plant, usually around one foot high, growing in exposed areas with thin soils, at medium elevations. Stems are green or brownish, and they branch a few times, all branches and leaves generally angled upwards. Leaves are bright green, growing all along the stems; they are narrow at the base, wider and flat at the tip, which is divided into three rounded lobes - up to a third of the length of the blade. Leaves at the top of the stem, amongst the flowerheads, are narrower and unlobed. Stems grow close together, creating a dense clump.
Flowerheads form in narrow, elongated clusters along the upper portion of the stems; they are small, less than 0.1 inches in diameter, with green or light brown phyllaries around 2 to 6 yellow florets. The florets, and adjacent leaves, turn brown during the fall, while the other leaves remain green.
This species is similar to artemisia tridentata, but is considerably smaller, has shorter leaves and is generally more green, less grey.
Flowerheads form in narrow, elongated clusters along the upper portion of the stems; they are small, less than 0.1 inches in diameter, with green or light brown phyllaries around 2 to 6 yellow florets. The florets, and adjacent leaves, turn brown during the fall, while the other leaves remain green.
This species is similar to artemisia tridentata, but is considerably smaller, has shorter leaves and is generally more green, less grey.
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