MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS: It appears that Sphaeralcea munroana 

 is favored by moderate to high levels of disturbance associated 

 with road maintenance or river flooding. There is no evidence 

 that livestock grazing adversely affects this species. Current 

 management practices are probably not detrimental to populations 

 of this plant. 



Sphaeromeria argentea Nutt. 



Chicken sage 



DESCRIPTION: Chicken sage is a perennial herb or subshrub with 

 many flowering stems, 5-20 cm (2-8 in) high, and numerous short, 

 sterile stems from a branched rootcrown. The alternate leaves, 

 up to 15 mm long, are narrowly fan-shaped and usually 3-lobed at 

 the tip. Foliage is aromatic and densely covered with appressed, 

 gray hair. Several, short-stalked flower heads are borne on the 

 stem tips. Each hemispheric head has 2-3 series of overlapping, 

 membranous-margined, involucral bracts, 3-4 mm high, and numerous 

 disk flowers. Ray flowers are lacking. The seeds are without 

 bristles or awns (pappus) on top. 



The leaves, heads and subshrub habit make this plant resemble a 

 tiny sagebrush. S. capitata forms dense mats and has more deeply 

 divided leaves and dense clusters of flower heads. 



GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION 



Global distribution: Central Idaho, northeast Nevada, 

 southwest Montana and northwest Wyoming. 



Montana distribution: Beaverhead County 



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