Taxon

Artemisia tridentata

 
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Artemisia tridentata - big sagebrush, Great Basin sagebrush, chamizo blanco, chamizo ganado, chamizo hediondo
Image: Joy Mandelbaum
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Common name: big sagebrush, Great Basin sagebrush, chamizo blanco, chamizo ganado, chamizo hediondo
Family: Asteraceae (Aster)
Distribution: Central and Western United States, Central and Western Canada, Northern Mexico
Habitat: Plains, valleys, slopes
Hardiness: USDA Zone 4 (-30 to -20 °F)
Life form: Evergreen shrub/sub-shrub
Occurrence in New Mexico: New Mexico native plant
Growing Conditions: A. tridentata is a major plant in the Great Basin region. It is common in the northern half of New Mexico, where it grows in deep soils in bottoms and drainages, in piñon-juniper woodlands, and on slopes of mixed conifer forests. It will grow in dry, rocky soils and limestone soils. Well-drained soils are essential to prevent root rot. These nitrogen-fixing plants are very drought tolerant. Periodic pruning to remove old stems rejuvenates the plant. Big sagebrush spreads easily from seed, but requires the presence of mycorrhizal fungi. Fires can kill the plant; and re-colonization is impeded when the soil fungi are killed by severe fires. Sagebrush ecosystems invaded by cheatgrass, which promotes fires, have been greatly altered.
Description: Big sagebrush grows 1 ½-9 feet tall and almost as wide. It often has a gnarled appearance with branches arising from a woody base or relatively thick trunk with exfoliating bark. Gray-green leaves are wedge-shaped and usually have 3 lobes or blunt teeth at the tips. The plant is strongly aromatic, especially after a rain. It produces elongated, loose clusters of small yellow flowers in late summer.
Links: SFBG Plant of the Month • Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Taxonomy) • NatureServe Explorer • SEINet • USDA - United States Department of Agriculture • Wildflower Center - Native Plant Database

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