Artemisia nova

A. Nelson

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 27: 274. 1900.

Common names: Black sagebrush black sage
Endemic
Synonyms: Artemisia arbuscula subsp. nova (A. Nelson) G. H. Ward Artemisia arbuscula var. nova (A. Nelson) Cronquist Artemisia tridentata subsp. nova (A. Nelson) H. M. Hall & Clements Seriphidium novum
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 513. Mentioned on page 511, 514.

Shrubs, 10–30(–50) cm (trunks relatively short, widely and loosely branched), pungently aromatic; not root-sprouting. Stems brown, glabrescent (vegetative of approximately equal heights, giving plants a ‘hedged’ appearance; bark dark gray, exfoliating with age). Leaves persistent, usually bright green to dark green, sometimes gray-green; blades cuneate, 3-lobed (lobes to 1/3 blade lengths, 0.5–2 × 0.2–1 cm, rounded), faces sparsely hairy, gland-dotted. Heads in paniculiform arrays 4–10 × 0.5–3 cm (branches ± erect; peduncles slender). Involucres narrowly turbinate, 2–3 × 2 mm. Phyllaries (straw-colored or light green) ovate to elliptic (margins hyaline, shiny-resinous), sparsely hairy or glabrous. Florets 2–6; corollas 2–3 mm, glabrous (style branches scarcely exsert). Cypselae (ribbed) 0.8–1.5 mm, glabrous or resinous. 2n = 18, 36.


Phenology: Flowering mid summer–late fall.
Habitat: Shallow soils, desert valleys, exposed mountain slopes
Elevation: 1500–2300 m

Distribution

V19-871-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.Mex., Utah, Wyo.

Discussion

Artemisia nova is the common low-growing dark-green (“black”) sagebrush of desert valleys or south-southwest-facing slopes. It is prized by sheep ranchers as forage in areas where little else is available for grazing. It is conspicuous by its low growth habit, dark green foliage, and, in late season, by its pale orange to light brown flowering branches that rise beyond the vegetative growth. Often confused in herbarium collections with A. arbuscula, A. nova is easily distinguished by the entire leaves of the flowering stems, pedunculate heads, narrowly turbinate involucres, and often straw-colored, glabrous or sparsely hairy phyllaries.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Artemisia nova"
Leila M. Shultz +
A. Nelson +
Tridentatae +
Black sagebrush +  and black sage +
Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, Utah +  and Wyo. +
1500–2300 m +
Shallow soils, desert valleys, exposed mountain slopes +
Flowering mid summer–late fall. +
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club +
Artemisia arbuscula subsp. nova +, Artemisia arbuscula var. nova +, Artemisia tridentata subsp. nova +  and Seriphidium novum +
Artemisia nova +
Artemisia subg. Tridentatae +
species +