ATLAS OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 
Figure 46.—A pure stand of sagebrush about 4 feet high and resembling an open miniature forest. 
(Sagebrush.) Annuals form the bulk of the associated species. Sagebrush is the most important plant of the. 
northern desert shrub vegetation. It draws its moisture-supply from both the surface and deep soil layers. 
Growth is confined to spring and early summer, the plants passing the later summer and fall in a leafless 
drought-rest condition. During extreme drought sagebrush is often killed. The plants here illustrated 
range from 30 to 50 years in age. A thrifty growth of sagebrush indicates the best type of land found in the 
Great Basin region—a deep soil free from harmful amounts of salt. Land of this type may produce fair crops 
of wheat under dry farming. Nephi, Utah. 
the region, and sugar beets and potatoes are also exten¬ 
sively grown. Much of the best irrigated fruit land of 
the intermountain region, which is especially productive 
of apples, peaches, and similar fruits, is found on land 
previously growing sagebrush, shadscale, or salt-sage. 
The development of irrigated land has been determined 
up to the present time more largely by the practical 
problems attending the application of water than by 
the physical condition of the soil or the presence or 
absence of alkali. As grazing land the winter-fat and 
the bud-sage areas are important sources of forage. 
All of the area is grazed, especially in winter, but much 
of the forage value lies in the relatively unimportant 
or secondary species of grasses and other forage plants. 
Overgrazing, and the resulting reduction of fire risk 
and the conservation of soil moisture in the subsoil, 
has greatly extended the sagebrush desert into the 
grassland area. 
The sagebrush desert shrub is divided into three 
main associations, under each of which may be grouped 
a number of the more important minor communities: 
Sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata) : 
Small sage (Artemisia nova). 
Scabland sage (Artemisia rigicta). 
Little rabbit brush (Chrysothamnus stenophyllus). 
Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata ). 
Big rabbit brush (Ghrysothanmus nauseosus). 
Coleogyne (Goleogyne rammissima ). 
Chamiso (Atriplex canesoens). 
Match weed (Gutter rezia sarothrae). 
Shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia) : 
Winter fat (Eurotia lanata). 
Hop sage (Grayia spinosa). 
Bud sage (Artemisia spinesoens). 
Salt sage (Atriplex oorrugata and A. nuttallii) : 
White sage (Kochia americana vestita). 
/Sagebrush (fig- 46).—The most important plant of 
the northern desert shrub is sagebrush ( Artemisia tri¬ 
dentata). It occupies most of the higher land which 
is free from alkali, well drained, easily penetrated, and 
moistened by natural rainfall or by flood waters to a 
depth of from 4 to 18 feet. This type is best developed 
in the northern and more elevated portion of the area 
and within the region where the rainfall is from 10 
to 15 inches. It is characteristic of the great alluvial 
fans and plateaus, ranging principally from 4,000 to 
7,000 feet elevation in the central and southern portion 
of the area and from 1,000 to 2,000 feet in the Columbia 
Basin. It occupies much of the desert lands of Wash¬ 
ington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, 
Utah, Nevada, northern New Mexico, Arizona, and 
northeastern California. It ranges from the Canadian 
boundary on the north to the Mexican boundary on 
the south, where it occurs in relatively restricted areas 
at high elevations, and in California usually well up 
above the chaparral and next to the yellow-pine belt. 
The sagebrush cover is usually a pure open stand, the 
plants being from 3 to several feet apart and varying 
in height from 2 to 7 feet. In general appearance 
this type represents a diminutive forest with sil¬ 
very foliage and little undergrowth. Growth is con¬ 
fined largely to spring and early summer. In late sum¬ 
mer and fall sagebrush passes into a drought-rest con¬ 
dition, during which it drops its leaves gradually. At 
such times the bare stems appear dark in color, and the 
name “black sage” is often applied to it. During 
periods of extreme drought sagebrush is often killed 
over large areas. During rainy periods annuals spring 
Figure 47.—Small sage about 18 inches high. (Sagebrush.) The conditions in this type are more 
adverse than in sagebrush. The soil is usually shallow and stony, unfavorable for cult,vat,on Small 
sage is difficult to distinguish from poorly developed sagebrush. In general the plants are smaller, less 
silvery and more yellowish in color. Small sage land is seldom used for crops, and its value for grazing 
depends upon the amount of grass growing between the small sage plants. Ely, Nev. 
up and grow until the moisture supply of the surface 
soil is exhausted. These consist largely of the intro¬ 
duced annual brome (Bromus tectorum ), filaree ( Ero - 
dium oieutarium ), and similar desert species. The 
sagebrush roots are well developed at the surface and 
extend also in good soil to a depth of 4 to 18 feet. A 
good, even stand of large sagebrush indicates land upon 
which crops can be successfully grown by dry-farm 
methods. Much of the land under irrigation, espe¬ 
cially by the small private irrigation systems in which 
the water is taken directly from the mountain streams 
and utilized on the adjacent land, was originally char¬ 
acterized by this type of vegetation. Small, old plants, 
or a stunted, gnarled appearance of the sagebrush, 
indicates either harmful amounts of alkali in the second 
or third foot of soil or a water supply so limited that 
plants can not develop to their full size. 
Small sage (fig. 47).—Within the area usually domi¬ 
nated by sagebrush there occur a large number of 
Figure 48.—A pure open stand of little rabbit brush. (Sagebrush.) 
The plants are bright yellow in color when in flower and are usually 
about 18 inches high. There are few associated plants. Little rabbit 
brush is most extensive in Utah, and is characteristic of a loose, 
alkali-free soil, not differing markedly from sagebrush land. Lindyl, 
Utah. 
minor divisions. In Oregon and Idaho and more ele¬ 
vated portions of Utah and Nevada, Wyoming, and 
Colorado, where soil-moisture conditions are less favor¬ 
able, due to greater run-off caused by a less disinte¬ 
grated soil, shallow stony land, or a heavy adobe, sage¬ 
brush gives way to small sage (Artemisia nova). 
This change is seldom due to less rainfall. In gen¬ 
eral appearance the type is quite distinct from well- 
developed sagebrush. Very poor sagebrush is distin¬ 
guished from it only with difficulty. The plants, not 
as tall as sagebrush, are less silvery and more yellowish 
in color, and do not have the appearance of a miniature 
forest. The stand is usually pure, scarcely any other 
prominent perennials occurring in this type. As agri¬ 
cultural land this type is of doubtful value, due to the 
rocky and shallow soil, and its value as grazing land 
depends entirely upon the small amount of grass and 
other herbage which develops in the interspaces. 
ScaUand sage. —In Washington and Oregon the lava out¬ 
crops known as scabland are occupied by scabland sage (Arte¬ 
misia rigida), a low-growing gnarled bush seldom exceeding 
2 feet in height. During the wet spring period many flowering 
herbs appear in this type. The climatic conditions are similar 
to those of the wheat-grass or sagebrush areas of the region. 
Land occupied by this type is entirely unsuited for agriculture 
and inferior to the adjacent areas of wheat grass or sagebrush 
as grazing land. 
Little rabbit brush (fig. 48).—In the southern portion of the 
area, in Utah and Nevada, little rabbit brush (Chrysothamnus 
stenophyllus and related species) occupies large areas to the 
exclusion of almost all other plants. During the summer when 
the flowers are in bloom, such areas present a uniform bright- 
yellow expanse often extending for many miles. The plants 
are, as a rule, not over 12 to 18 inches in height. On soils 
poorly supplied with water they are often only a few inches 
high. The amount of growth indicates roughly the quantity 
of soil moisture available each season for plant growth. The 
type occurs on rather light land which is free from alkali, and 
indicates conditions a little less favorable for dry farming than 
sagebrush. In places where drought or fire has killed out 
the sagebrush this type of vegetation often develops. Only dur¬ 
ing favorable years will sagebrush replace this type. 
Bitterbrush. —On sandy or loose volcanic soils or poorly dis¬ 
integrated rocky soils in the northern and western portions of 
this desert, bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) characterizes 
large areas. It is found for the most part at higher elevations 
and near the yellow-pine zone. The large, dark-green plants 
present an appearance quite different from sagebrush. The 
conditions do not differ essentially from those on sagebrush 
land, except that the soil is more loose and sandy. 
Big rabbit brush. —Where sagebrush has been destroyed, or 
on sandy land in, the northern portion of the desert, big rabbit 
brush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) is often dominant. It indi¬ 
cates conditions not essentially different from those of sage¬ 
brush. The plants are very light in color, with relatively in¬ 
conspicuous leaves, grow rapidly, and are short-lived. Late in 
the season they are covered with yellow flowers which hide the 
stems and foliage almost entirely. 
Coleogyne .—At the southern edge of the sagebrush 
desert coleogyne (Coleogyne ramosissima) often be¬ 
comes one of the most prominent features of the desert 
shrub. On the highlands west and east of Death Val¬ 
ley, also across Nevada at the thirty-seventh parallel, 
it forms the boundary between the northern and south¬ 
ern desert, mingling with northern types on the upper 
or northern boundary and with the tree yuccas on the 
lower or southern boundary. It does not occur in 
alkali soil, but on alluvial fans or sandy soil, where the 
total rainfall is quickly absorbed and available for 
plant growth. This land is suitable only for irriga¬ 
tion agriculture. 
Chamiso. —Chamiso (Atriplex canescens) occurs in many 
places either in a pure stand or as scattered plants over a 
Galleta grass cover. In distribution it occurs in the southern 
portion of the northern desert shrub, but is more abundant 
in the southern desert shrub, to which it apparently belongs. 
Chamiso often occupies sandy land, although it has been found 
in a pure stand on heavier land containing some alkali. 
Match weed. —Large tracts of land throughout the desert are 
marked by a cover of match weed (Gutierrezia sarothrae and 
related species). Such lands have been either burned, plowed, 
overgrazed, or disturbed in some way, and match weed repre¬ 
sents only an early perennial stage in the revegetation. These 
vast areas may have been originally sagebrush land, shadscale 
land, or any other permanent type. As an indicator it is of 
little practical value, although the best and most luxuriant 
growth is usually on sagebrush land and the poorer growth on 
shadscale or salt-sage land. This type also occurs on short- 
grass lands and lands of the southern desert when the original 
vegetation is disturbed or destroyed. Its natural habitat seems 
to be the shallow soils of the western and southern edge of the 
short-grass area. 
