|
Sand
Sagebrush
Common
Name(s):
Sand Sagebrush
Sand Sage
Threadleaf Sagebrush
Old Man Sagebrush
Scientific
Name:
Artemisia
filifolia Torr.
Scientific
Name Synonyms:
None known
Symbol:
ARFI2
Description:
Life Span: Perennial
Origin:
Native
Season: Warm
Growth Characteristics:
Sand
sagebrush is a freely branching, rounded crown, and aromatic shrub
growing up to 4 feet tall. It flowers August to September, and reproduces
from seeds.
Flowers/Inflorescence:
Flowers
are numerous and small, found in terminal, leafy plume-like heads.
Fruits/Seeds:
Fruit is a brown, lightly 4-5 ribbed achene.
Leaves: Alternate
and found in bundles (fascicled). The upper leaves are simple lance-shaped,
the lower leaves are divided into 3 lobes. The leaves have a bluish-green
appearance and are hairy.
Stems: Twigs
are brown to grayish-brown, erect, slender, and freely branching.
They can be hairy to smooth without hair. The bark eventually exfoliates
in thin shreds.
Ecological
Adaptations:
Sand
sagebrush is found on dunes, sand hills, and deep sands. It is generally
considered an indicator of sandy soil, and is usually abundant in
those areas. It is found mostly in southern Utah at elevations between
3,000 and 5,000 feet.
Soils: Dry,
coarse, sandy, low fertility soils.
Associated Species:
Needle-and-thread,
yucca, galleta
grass, broom snakeweed, Indian
ricegrass, and sand dropseed.
Uses and
Management:
The
importance of sand sagebrush to livestock and wildlife depends on
the vegetative composition of a particular site. It is rarely used
in grasslands where more preferred forage species are available
but may be used heavily in arid desert regions where other forage
is scarce or unavailable. Sand sagebrush is heavily browsed on some
low elevation cold desert ranges, and furnishes forage for pronghorn
and deer. It is considered a locally good forage plant for wildlife
and domestic livestock in parts of southern Utah, but is otherwise
considered poor to worthless as forage for cattle, and poor to fair
for horses and sheep. It may cause sage sickness in horses.
Sand sagebrush provides hiding or thermal cover for numerous smaller
birds and mammals.
It is extremely effective in preventing wind erosion on light, sandy
soils. A canopy of sand sagebrush can afford some protection to
grasses such as needle-and-thread on heavily grazed sites.
In Mexico, a decoction of leaves was taken for intestinal worms
and other stomach problems.
|
