Sagebrush

Sagebrush, any of various shrubby species of the genus Seriphidium (formerly in Artemisia) of the aster family (Asteraceae). They are native to semiarid plains and mountain slopes of western North America. The common sagebrush (S. tridentata) is a many-branched shrub, usually 1 to 2 metres (about 3 to 6.5 feet) high, with silvery gray, bitter-aromatic foliage. The small, wedge-shaped leaves usually have three teeth at the outer end.

Sagebrush is a typical angiosperm, producing spores in flowers that develop male gametophytes (pollen) that generally are dispersed to other flowers where they complete their development by growing to the location (an ovule) of the female gametophyte (embryo sac) that developed from a haploid spore. Members of the Asteraceae have ‘flowers’ that are actually inflorescences. Many familiar members of the Asteraceae (asters, sunflowers) have two types of flowers in the inflorescence: ray flowers (‘petals’) and disk flowers. Other members of the family (dandelion) have only ray flowers. Sagebrush represents a third type of Asteraceae inflorescence, one that has only disc flowers. Sagebrush is also able to reproduce asexually by sprouting from underground rhizomes.

Sagebrush is often a dominant species in the areas where it grows and is an extremely important species to these communities, providing food for animals, including numerous insects, pronghorn antelope, rodents, and birds (e.g. sage grouse). The plant is not desirable for ranchers because cattle avoid the bitter foliage and considerable effort has been taken to remove sagebrush and replace it with more palatable species. But efforts are underway to preserve sagebrush and the unique habitat it is associated with, known as ‘the sagebrush sea’