United States and in southern Canada as pasture sagebrush; it is 

 also locally dubbed arctic, mountain, wild, arid worm sage (brush). 

 The species is, of course, not a true sage (Salvia). The American 

 Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature 3 has accepted the 

 English name fringed wormwood for this plant in horticulture be- 

 cause of its resemblance and close relationship to wormwood (A. 

 absin'tMum) of Europe. However, the universal range name for 

 shrubby species of Artemisia is sagebrush, a name so descriptive, 

 unequivocal, and usage-sanctioned that it is neither desirable nor 

 advisable to replace it in range literature. The name fringed sage- 

 brush is particularly appropriate, as fringed alludes to the finely dis- 

 sected leaves ; sagebrush is descriptive of the plant's odor and of the 

 perennial character of the stem bases. The flowers have a strong, 

 rather camphorlike odor; and the aromatic herbage, especially when 

 crushed, is reminiscent of the true sages, or salvias, of the mint 

 family (Menthaceae, or Labiatae). 



Fringed sagebrush has an enormous range, being probably the 

 most widely distributed and abundant species of the entire Artemisia, 

 genus. It extends from Mexico northward through the greater por- 

 tion of the western United States and western Canada, into Alaska, 

 and thence to Siberia, northern Asia, and Europe. It is a common 

 and typical plant of the high plains along the eastern slopes of the 

 Rocky Mountains, and also inhabits valleys, mesas, mountains, and 

 many of the higher grasslands. Although of greatest abundance 

 in the eastern and northern parts of its range, rather extensive local 

 stands occur in southern Colorado, northern New Mexico, and 

 northern Arizona, especially in open parks of the ponderosa pine 

 belt. On the high plains and prairie region from northern Colorado 

 and Nebraska northward throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan, 

 fringed sagebrush is an outstanding species, appearing in mixed 

 grass-weed types, often in association with false tarragon (A. dra- 

 cimculoi'des), cudweed sagewort (A. gnaphalo' 'des) , blue grama, 

 needlegrasses, muhly grasses, and wheatgrasses. 



Thoughout the Rocky Mountain and Intermountam regions 

 fringed sagebrush ranges from low, semidesert valleys up to eleva- 

 tions of over 11,000 feet. On winter ranges of western Utah and 

 eastern Nevada this plant is dominant in dense stands along the 

 shallow depressions which collect moisture and floodwaters from 

 the summer rains. Its frequent associates in such places include 

 winterfat, shadscale, and rabbitbrushes. Fringed sagebrush also 

 grows scatteringly on slopes, foothills, and mountain sides, inter- 

 mixed with various weeds, big sagebrush, wheatgrasses, bluegrasses, 

 and eriogonums. Although fairly common in such sites, it seldom 

 abounds save in small or local patches. 



All in all, this species inhabits a fairly wide variety of sites, but 

 grows most typically in full sunlight on dry, porous, coarse, gravelly, 

 sandy, or shallow loam soils. However, it tolerates moderate shade 

 well and thrives luxuriantly on ditchbanks and along streams, when 

 it can establish itself in such situations. The plant basks in the 



1 American Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature. STANDARDIZED PLANT 

 NAMES. Prepared by P. L. Olmsted, F. V. Coville, and H. P. Kelsey. 546 pp. Salem, 

 Mass.. 1923. 



