Figure IZ . --Fringed sagebrush 

 (k. frigidaj growing at Black 

 Mesa, Gunnison Co., Colo. 



Fringed sagebrush blooms from July at high elevations to November at lower eleva- 

 tions. Seed matures between September and December. Cleaned seed averages 8,545 per 

 gram (3,875,000 per pound). 



Hybridization ringed sagebrush is known only as a diploid, 2n = 18 (Mulligan 

 and Cody 1972; McArthur and Pope 1977) . Numerous ecotypes of A. frigida are known over 

 its broad range. It is not known to hybridize with other Artemisias. 



distribution and habitat . ringed, sagebrush is probably the most widely distrib- 

 uted and abundant species of Artemisia. Its range extends from Mexico northward through 

 most of the western United States and western Canada into Alaska and Siberia (USDA For- 

 est Service 1937) . 



Fringed sagebrush is a common plant of the high plains along the eastern slope of 

 the Rocky Mountains, but also occurs in valleys and mountains. It is most abundant in 

 the eastern and northern parts of its range. This species ranges from low, semidesert 

 valleys to more than 3,350 meters (11,000 feet) elevation throughout the Rocky Mountain 

 and Intermountain regions. 



Fringed sagebrush inhabits a wide variety of sites. Most typically, it grows in 

 full sunlight in dry, coarse, shallow soils. On winter ranges in western Utah and 

 eastern Nevada, fringed sagebrush may occur in dense stands along shallow depressions 

 that collect moisture from summer rains. In such areas, it is frequently associated 

 with winterfat {Ceratoides lanata) , shadscale, and rabbitbrushes [Chrysotharmus spp.). 

 On plains, foothills, and mountain slopes, this species may be associated with a variety 

 of grasses and forbs as well as with various shrubs such as big sagebrush, Bigelow sage- 

 brush, sand sagebrush, and especially in overgrazed areas, with broom snakeweed. It is 

 a common understory plant in ponderosa pine {Pinus ponderosa) in several western States. 



15 



