About Artemisia bigelovii A.Gray
Artemisia bigelovii A.Gray is a shrub that grows from a woody base, reaching a maximum height of around 50 centimeters (20 inches). It produces many slender, curving branches with shredding bark, giving it its characteristic overall growth form. Stem branches and leaves are covered in silvery hairs, which give the plant a gray color. Its leaves are less than 3 centimeters long, and may end in a point or three distinct teeth. The inflorescence is a panicle of flower heads that contain yellowish disc florets, and occasionally a small ray floret. The fruit is a tiny achene about one millimeter long. This species is native to Inyo and San Bernardino Counties in California, as well as Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. It grows in desert, basin, grassland, and juniper woodland habitats. It is very drought-tolerant, and lives in arid regions on sandy and limestone-rich soils. This species of sagebrush is good winter fodder for grazing animals. It is cultivated as ground cover on recovering rangeland, and for erosion control.
