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Sand sagebrush

Artemisia filifolia

Summary 7

Artemisia filifolia (sand sagebrush) is a flowering aromatic shrub in the aster family that is native to North America. It prefers deep, sandy soil and grows as a branching woody shrub up to five feet tall.

Botanical Information 8

Sand sagebrush, also known as sand sage, is found in the Southwestern U.S. and all the way down to Mexico. It's scientific name is Artemisia filifolia. It is a common smaller shrub that can withstand more extreme weather conditions than other plants can. It is mostly light green with hints of grey and/or silver, with tiny, white-colored flowers. Its stems are skinny, with lots of skinny leaves with lots of grey/silver hair all over. Sand sagebrush can grow to 1.5 meters high, fully grown. It's stem is branched, nearly straight, and dense. It's leaves are 1-2 inches long. It blooms from late summer to early winter, forming clusters of small, nodding heads 1.5-2mm wide.

Ecological Information 9

Sand sagebrush has a low water consumption and can thrive in sunny as well as shady environments. This plant thrives in sandy soils commonly found in desert habitats. Prairie dogs use them to cover their holes. When the Prairie dogs move to another location, burrowing owls will take the abandoned holes over and use them as their own. This plant is also sometimes used for revegetation efforts on coalfields, and rangelands, and erosion control projects.

Ethnobotanical Information 10

Like many of the Artemisias, sand sagebrush contains volatile compounds that are antimicrobial. It has been used medicinally as well as in ritualistic cleansings. According to ethnobotanical reports, Tewa people would chew the plant or drink a decoction of it for indigestion and flatulence. (Note: Ethnobotanical reports often lack important contextual information and relevant traditional ecological knowledge.)

References 11

https://www.highcountrygardens.com/perennial-plants/artemisia/artemisia-filifolia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_filifolia
https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ARFI2
https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/artfil/all.html
http://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SGI_Sagebrush_PocketGuide_Nov12.pdf

About the Author 12

Student author(s)*: Andrew (age 16) from Menaul School

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/34617935284/
  2. (c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/27410665647/
  3. (c) Chuck Sexton, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Chuck Sexton
  4. (c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/8701376998/
  5. (c) Arches National Park, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/archesnps/6550006845/
  6. (c) Annika Lindqvist, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Annika Lindqvist
  7. Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_filifolia
  8. (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  9. Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  10. Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  11. Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  12. Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

iNat Map

Flower white
Leaf silver
Type Shrub
Uses medicinal
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