Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Alpine Sagebrush
Artemisia scopulorum
Aster family (Asteraceae)

Sagewort is very common in high and areas, but it is small and slim, and easily overlooked. The entire plant has a most exotic, even science-fiction-alien appearance. The first specimen of this plant was collected by Hall and Harbour, led by Charles Parry, in 1862 in Colorado and was named by Asa Gray in 1863.


© Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, Bugwood.org
Named in honor of the Greek goddess Artemis. "Scopulorum" means "of rocky places."

Description

Aromatic , 2-10" tall. Leaves and young twigs typically Silvery blue-green and hairy. Leaves are mostly , and finely cut. Dense gray hairs on both sides lend leaves their silvery blue-green color. Leaves are persist through the winter. Numerous flowerheads in compact clusters consist of small yellow-brown flowers with numerous with curled yellow tips. Has distinctive sage smell when leaves are crushed.

Field Marks

Small aromatic sagebrush growing at or above timberline.

© Al Schneider

stamen -- the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower; The stamen consists of an anther supported by a filament.

A leaf is compound when multiple leaflets are on the same stem.

meadow -- Large grass and wildflower filled area with few, if any, trees.

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

basal -- at the base, situated or attached at the base.

pinnate -- A compound leaf with two rows of leaflets.

The anther is a pad at the end of the stamen that holds the pollen.

alpine -- above the tree line. Thin soil, rocks, short growing season, frost, winter snow.