yc  Some  American  Species  of  Artemisia, 
what  woody  at  the  base,  glabrous  or  somewhat  pubescent  when  youngs 
has  linear,  entire  leaves,  the  lower  ones  being  occasionally  threecleft, 
and  an  ample  paniculate  inflorescence,  consisting  of  very  numerous 
heads,  which  are  about  one-tenth  inch  in  diameter.  The  herb  has  an 
agreeable,  wormwood-like  odor,  which  is  not  very  strong  ;  its  taste  is 
bitter,  but  by  far  less  so  than  wormwood.  The  plant  belongs  to  the 
section  Dracunculus ^'  vfh'xch  has  tl;ie  flowerheads  heterogamous,  but  only 
the  pistillate  florets  on  the  margin  are  fertile. 
To  the  same  section  belongs  Artemisia  filifolia^  Torrey,  which  is 
known  m  the  west  as  southern  ivood.  The  plant  grows  to  the  height  of 
2  or  3  feet,  has  slender  virgate  branches  and  dense  leafy  panicles  of 
very  small,  three-  to  five-flowered  tomentose  heads,  in  which  only  the 
two  pistillate  florets  are  fertile,  while  the  rest  are  perfect  but  sterile. 
The  leaves  are  filiform,  revolute  on  the  margin,  the  lower  ones  fre- 
quently threecleft  ;  they  are  whitish  tomentose,  but  when  old  become 
nearly  smooth.  According  to  Dr.  Palmer  the  Pah-Utes  use  a  decoc- 
tion of  it  against  swellings  and  bruises,  and,  by  distillation,  a  very  pene- 
trating volatile  oil  may  be  obtained  which  is  useful  in  liniments. 
Of  greater  importance  than  the  species  named  appear  to  be  those 
which,  in  the  States  bordering  on  the  Rocky  Mountains,  are  called 
sage-bushes  or  sage-brushes.  They  belong  to  the  section  Seriphidimny 
are  shrubby,  have  few-flowered  heads  and  grow  in  arid  localities.  Two 
of  the  sage-bushes,  J,  arbuscula^  Nuttall,  and  A.  trifida^  Nutt.,  are 
dwarfy,  about  6  inches  or  the  latter  sometimes  i8  inches  high.  But 
the  more  important,  A.  tridentata^  Nutt.,  attains  a  height  of  5016  feet^ 
has  a  ragged,  fibrous  bark,  numerous  spreading  branches  and  crowded 
tomentose-canescent  leaves,  about  an  inch  long,  cuneate-oblong  and 
with  three  short  and  obtuse  teeth  at  the  apex.  It  is  a  pale  green  shrub,  and 
has  a  strong  aromatic  smell.  Prof.  Serene  Watson  states  that  it  covers 
hundieds  of  square  miles  in  the  plains  and  on  the  foothills  of  Nevada 
and  Utah,  and  extends  from  Oregon  to  Arizona  and  Sonora,  and  as 
far  east  as  the  mountains  of  Colorado.  According  to  Dr.  Palmer,  the 
Pah-Utes  use  a  strong  tea  of  this  plant  for  headache,  colds  and  for 
worms.     By  distillation  a  pungent  volatile  oil  may  be  obtained  from  it. 
