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{{redirect|Sagebrush|other uses of the word|Sagebrush (disambiguation)}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Artemisia tridentata''
| status =
secure
| image = sagebrush.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Sagebrush, Washington State
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Asterales]]
| familia = [[Asteraceae]]
| genus = ''[[Artemisia (plant)|Artemisia]]''
| species = '''''A. tridentata'''''
| binomial = ''Artemisia tridentata''
| binomial_authority = [[Thomas Nuttall|Nutt.]]
}}
'''''Artemisia tridentata''''' ('''Sagebrush''', '''Big Sagebrush''', '''Common Sagebrush''', '''Blue Sagebrush''', or '''Black Sagebrush''') is a [[shrub]] or small [[tree]] from the family [[Asteraceae]]. Some botanists treat it in the [[segregate (taxonomy)|segregate]] genus ''Seriphidium'', as ''S. tridentatum'' (Nutt.) W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed. The name "sagebrush" is also used for several related members of the genus ''[[Artemisia (plant)|Artemisia]]'', such as [[Artemisia californica|California Sagebrush]] (''Artemisia californica'').
It is a coarse, hardy silvery-grey bush with yellow [[flower]]s and grows in arid sections of the [[American West|western]] [[United States]]. It is the primary vegetation across vast areas of the [[Great Basin]] desert. Along rivers or in other relatively wet areas, sagebrush can grow as tall as 3 m (10 feet), but is more typically 1-2 m tall.
Sagebrush has a strong pungent fragrance, especially when wet, which is not unlike [[common sage]]. It is, however, unrelated to common sage and has a bitter taste. It is thought that this odor serves to discourage browsing.
Sagebrush [[Leaf|leaves]] are wedge-shaped 1-4 cm long and 0.3-1 cm broad, and are attached to the branch by the narrow end. The outer and wider end is generally divided into three lobes (although leaves with two or four lobes are not uncommon), hence the scientific name ''tridentata''. The leaves are covered with fine silvery hairs, which are thought to keep the leaf cool and minimize water loss. Most of the leaves are carried year-round, as sagebrush tends to grow in areas where winter precipitation is greater than summer precipitation.
Sagebrush flowers in the late summer or early fall. The flowers are yellow and are carried in long, slender clusters.
There are five [[subspecies]]:
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''parishii'' (A. Gray) H. M. Hall & Clem. (Syn. ''A. parishii'' A. Gray, ''A. tridentata'' var. ''parishii'' (A. Gray) Jeps.)
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''tridentata''
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''vaseyana'' (Rydb.) Beetle (Syn. ''A. tridentata'' var. ''vaseyana'' (Rydb.) B. Boivin, ''A. vaseyana'' Rydb.)
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''wyomingensis'' Beetle & A. L. Young (Syn. ''A. tridentata'' var. ''wyomingensis'' (Beetle & A. L. Young) S. L. Welsh)
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''xericensis'' Winward ex Rosentreter & R. G. Kelsey
[[Image:Young sagebrush.JPG|thumb|A young sagebrush grown as [[bonsai]], showing the typical leaf configuration]]
Sagebrush leaves compare favorably to [[alfalfa]] for [[livestock]] [[nutrition]] value. However, they also contain oils that are toxic to the [[Symbiosis|symbiotic]] [[bacterium|bacteria]] in the [[rumen]] of most [[ruminant]]s. These oils have the greatest effect on [[cattle]]. Cattle that resort to sagebrush due to the lack of other [[fodder]] in the winter often freeze to death before starving, as they rely in large part on the heat of their [[digestion|digestive]] action for warmth. Ranchers call this condition "hollow belly". [[Sheep]] can tolerate moderate consumption of sagebrush leaves, especially the fresh spring buds. [[Pronghorn]] are the only large [[herbivore]] to browse sagebrush extensively. As pronghorn are the only remaining large herbivore that [[Evolution|evolved]] along with sagebrush ([[deer]] are a more recent arrival from [[Asia]]), this is not surprising. There is speculation that some of the herbivores that went extinct in [[North America]] at the end of the [[Pleistocene]] such as the [[Ground Sloth]] or the American [[Camel]] were also capable of browsing sagebrush.
Sagebrush is not fire-tolerant and relies on wind-blown seeds from outside the burned area for re-establishment. This is in contrast to many of the other plants which share its habitat, such as [[Rabbitbrush]], [[Ephedra (genus)|Ephedra]] and bunchgrasses, which can root-sprout after a fire. [[Downy brome|Cheatgrass]] has invaded much of the sagebrush habitat, and if left unchecked could possibly create a fire cycle that is too frequent to allow sagebrush to re-establish itself.
In the [[Great Basin]], sagebrush is the dominant plant life in the Upper Sonoran and Boreal [[life zone]]s, and is the primary [[understory]] species in the Transitional zone between them. Prior to heavy grazing by cattle and sheep of these areas, sagebrush is thought to have been less dominant, and [[Perennial plant|perennial]] [[grass]]es more common. In the Lower Sonoran life zone, sagebrush is generally replaced by [[shadscale]] or [[greasewood]]
Sagebrush is the state flower of [[Nevada]].
==External links==
{{commons|Artemisia tridentata|Artemisia tridentata}}
*[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?103973 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Artemisia tridentata'']
* [http://www.pnl.gov/pals/resource_cards/Sagebrush.stm What is Sagebrush?]
* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARTR2 NCRS: USDA Plants Profile:], [http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Nevada&statefips=32&symbol=ARTR2]
[[Category:Artemisia]]
[[Category:Flora of Nevada]]
[[Category:Flora of Western United States]]
[[Category:Flora of Baja California]]
[[Category:Flora of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Plants poisonous to equines]]
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Artemisia tridentata''
| status =
secure
| image = sagebrush.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Sagebrush, Washington State
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Asterales]]
| familia = [[Asteraceae]]
| genus = ''[[Artemisia (plant)|Artemisia]]''
| species = '''''A. tridentata'''''
| binomial = ''Artemisia tridentata''
| binomial_authority = [[Thomas Nuttall|Nutt.]]
}}
'''''Artemisia tridentata''''' ('''Sagebrush''', '''Big Sagebrush''', '''Common Sagebrush''', '''Blue Sagebrush''', or '''Black Sagebrush''') is a [[shrub]] or small [[tree]] from the family [[Asteraceae]]. Some botanists treat it in the [[segregate (taxonomy)|segregate]] genus ''Seriphidium'', as ''S. tridentatum'' (Nutt.) W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed. The name "sagebrush" is also used for several related members of the genus ''[[Artemisia (plant)|Artemisia]]'', such as [[Artemisia californica|California Sagebrush]] (''Artemisia californica'').
It is a coarse, hardy silvery-grey bush with yellow [[flower]]s and grows in arid sections of the [[American West|western]] [[United States]]. It is the primary vegetation across vast areas of the [[Great Basin]] desert. Along rivers or in other relatively wet areas, sagebrush can grow as tall as 3 m (10 feet), but is more typically 1-2 m tall.
Sagebrush has a strong pungent fragrance, especially when wet, which is not unlike [[common sage]]. It is, however, unrelated to common sage and has a bitter taste. It is thought that this odor serves to discourage browsing.
Sagebrush [[Leaf|leaves]] are wedge-shaped 1-4 cm long and 0.3-1 cm broad, and are attached to the branch by the narrow end. The outer and wider end is generally divided into three lobes (although leaves with two or four lobes are not uncommon), hence the scientific name ''tridentata''. The leaves are covered with fine silvery hairs, which are thought to keep the leaf cool and minimize water loss. Most of the leaves are carried year-round, as sagebrush tends to grow in areas where winter precipitation is greater than summer precipitation.
Sagebrush flowers in the late summer or early fall. The flowers are yellow and are carried in long, slender clusters.
There are five [[subspecies]]:
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''parishii'' (A. Gray) H. M. Hall & Clem. (Syn. ''A. parishii'' A. Gray, ''A. tridentata'' var. ''parishii'' (A. Gray) Jeps.)
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''tridentata''
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''vaseyana'' (Rydb.) Beetle (Syn. ''A. tridentata'' var. ''vaseyana'' (Rydb.) B. Boivin, ''A. vaseyana'' Rydb.)
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''wyomingensis'' Beetle & A. L. Young (Syn. ''A. tridentata'' var. ''wyomingensis'' (Beetle & A. L. Young) S. L. Welsh)
*''Artemisia tridentata'' subsp. ''xericensis'' Winward ex Rosentreter & R. G. Kelsey
[[Image:Young sagebrush.JPG|thumb|A young sagebrush grown as [[bonsai]], showing the typical leaf configuration]]
Sagebrush leaves compare favorably to [[alfalfa]] for [[livestock]] [[nutrition]] value. However, they also contain oils that are toxic to the [[Symbiosis|symbiotic]] [[bacterium|bacteria]] in the [[rumen]] of most [[ruminant]]s. These oils have the greatest effect on [[cattle]]. Cattle that resort to sagebrush due to the lack of other [[fodder]] in the winter often freeze to death before starving, as they rely in large part on the heat of their [[digestion|digestive]] action for warmth. Ranchers call this condition "hollow belly". [[Sheep]] can tolerate moderate consumption of sagebrush leaves, especially the fresh spring buds. [[Pronghorn]] are the only large [[herbivore]] to browse sagebrush extensively. As pronghorn are the only remaining large herbivore that [[Evolution|evolved]] along with sagebrush ([[deer]] are a more recent arrival from [[Asia]]), this is not surprising. There is speculation that some of the herbivores that went extinct in [[North America]] at the end of the [[Pleistocene]] such as the [[Ground Sloth]] or the American [[Camel]] were also capable of browsing sagebrush.
Sagebrush is not fire-tolerant and relies on wind-blown seeds from outside the burned area for re-establishment. This is in contrast to many of the other plants which share its habitat, such as [[Rabbitbrush]], [[Ephedra (genus)|Ephedra]] and bunchgrasses, which can root-sprout after a fire. [[Downy brome|Cheatgrass]] has invaded much of the sagebrush habitat, and if left unchecked could possibly create a fire cycle that is too frequent to allow sagebrush to re-establish itself.
In the [[Great Basin]], sagebrush is the dominant plant life in the Upper Sonoran and Boreal [[life zone]]s, and is the primary [[understory]] species in the Transitional zone between them. Prior to heavy grazing by cattle and sheep of these areas, sagebrush is thought to have been less dominant, and [[Perennial plant|perennial]] [[grass]]es more common. In the Lower Sonoran life zone, sagebrush is generally replaced by [[shadscale]] or [[greasewood]]
Sagebrush is the state flower of [[Nevada]].
==External links==
{{commons|Artemisia tridentata|Artemisia tridentata}}
*[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?103973 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Artemisia tridentata'']
* [http://www.pnl.gov/pals/resource_cards/Sagebrush.stm What is Sagebrush?]
* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARTR2 NCRS: USDA Plants Profile:], [http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Nevada&statefips=32&symbol=ARTR2]
[[Category:Artemisia]]
[[Category:Flora of Nevada]]
[[Category:Flora of Western United States]]
[[Category:Flora of Baja California]]
[[Category:Flora of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Plants poisonous to equines]]
