Artemisia rigida
scabland sagebrush
Family AsteraceaeAlso called stiff sagebrush
About
Scabland sagebrush is a low, deciduous shrub of thin soils over basalt in the Pacific Northwest, including the Channeled Scablands.
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.
- Mature size
- Branches up to 40 cm long.
Field notes
Morphology
Small, spreading deciduous shrub with woody branches up to 40 cm long, grey and hairy with age and often reddish when young. Trident-shaped grey leaves up to 4 cm long are coated in silvery hairs. Bell-shaped heads about 5 mm wide hold four to eight yellow-red to red florets; scent varies from mild to pungent.
Distribution & habitat
Washington, Idaho and Oregon; Montana records may be misidentifications. Grows in very shallow soil over basalt bedrock, sometimes above impermeable clay, where frost heaving breaks up the surface.
Ecology
A climax species on these unproductive sites where few other plants survive, rooting partly into rock fractures.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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