Figure 29. — Basin big 



sagebrush (k. triden- 

 tata ssp. tridentata^ 

 that has been seeded 

 after juniper-piny on 

 aontrol near Fillmore ^ 

 Millard Co., Utah. 



Palatability of the different populations of this shrub varies widely. Basin big 

 sagebrush [A. tridentata ssp. tridentata) is generally less palatable than Wyoming big 

 sagebrush C^. tridentata ssp Wyoming ensis) ; both are less palatable than mountain big 

 sagebrush (Hanks and others 1973; Sheehy and Winward 1976). Hanks and others (1973) 

 found that intermediates exhibit considerable variation in their palatability, but are 

 usually preferred to plants of the subspecies tridentata. Sagebrush is important food 

 and cover for upland birds. For example, sagebrush was found to comprise 62 percent of 

 the annual diet of sage grouse in Montana (Wallestad and others 1975). Big sagebrush 

 is an important component of antelope diet. Olsen and Hansen (1977) found sagebrush 

 comprised 78 percent of the annual diet for antelope in Wyoming's Red Desert. 



Big sagebrush stands are unexcelled in providing ground cover and forage when 

 grazed to maintain a balance between the sagebrush and associated herbs and shrubs 

 (Plummer and others 1968). Because big sagebrush establishes rapidly from both trans- 

 planting and direct seeding, it is useful for stabilizing washes, gullies, roadcuts, 

 and other raw, exposed sites. 



In the Old West, big sagebrush was commonly used by both Indians and the white 

 settlers for fuel and for construction of shelters. Its wood makes a quick, hot fire, 

 and its branches thatched temporary homes and sheds (Hall and Clements 1923). 



Subspecies . --Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata (basin big sagebrush^) is an 

 erect, heavily branched, unevenly topped shrub. This subspecies has undivided, or at 

 least trunklike, main stems. Shrubs range between 1 and 2 meters in height (fig. 30). 

 Some forms, however, may reach 4.5 meters in suitable habitats (fig. 25). Mature shrubs 

 of this subspecies are the largest members of the big sagebrush complex. The evergreen, 

 vegetative leaves are narrowly lanceolate, up to 5 cm long by 5 mm wide, and typically 

 3-toothed at the apex (fig. 22). The leaves of the flowering stems, however, gradually 

 become smaller and may be linear or oblanceolate and entire. Winward (1970) found the 

 average length-to-width ratio of persistent leaves on specimens from Idaho to be 5.6. 

 The gray-canescent foliage possesses a strongly pungent, aromatic odor. Flowering 

 stems arise throughout the uneven crown and bear numerous flower heads in erect, leafy 



^Other common names include common sagebrush, common big sagebrush, narrowleaf 

 big sagebrush, and valley big sagebrush. 



30 



