Artemisia frigida
prairie sagewort
Family AsteraceaeAlso called fringed sagebrush
About
Prairie sagewort is a low, silvery, strongly scented perennial common on dry and disturbed ground across Europe, Asia and North America, and grown in gardens for its foliage.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Water
- Drought-resistant.
- Propagation
- Seed; also spreads by layering.
- Mature size
- Mat or clump up to 40 cm tall.
Field notes
Morphology
Perennial with a woody base and spreading stems forming a mat or clump up to 40 cm tall. Lobed grey-green leaves are coated in silvery hairs. Many round heads about 5 mm across have woolly bracts and contain both ray and disc florets.
Distribution & habitat
Native to Europe, Asia and much of North America, introduced in parts of the north-central and northeastern United States; common in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, often dominant on dry, disturbed sites.
Ecology
Produces many seeds in most years and can also spread by layering. White-tailed jackrabbits and sage grouse eat it.
Cultivation notes
Grown for its foliage and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit; considered one of the few well-behaved Artemisia for gardens. Drought-resistant, and used in landscaping, erosion control and rangeland revegetation.
History & etymology
Used medicinally by Blackfoot, Cree and Tewa peoples for coughs, colds, wounds, headaches, fever and stomach complaints.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States, Canada
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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