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Louisiana
Sage
Common
Name(s):
Louisiana Sage
Herbaceous sage
Cudweed sagewort
Wormwood
Scientific
Name:
Artemisia
ludoviciana Nutt.
Scientific
Name Synonyms:
None known
Symbol:
ARLU
Description:
Life
Span: Perennial
Origin:
Native
Season: Warm
Growth Characteristics:
An
erect forb, growing 1 to 3 feet tall, with 1 to few hairy stems.
The entire plant is silvery-green. It flowers August to September,
and reproduces from seeds and rhizomes, often forming colonies.
Flowers/Inflorescence:
Flowers
are small, inconspicuous, and numerous with dense white hairs.
Fruits/Seeds:Fruit
is an achene. Seeds are very small.
Leaves: Lance-shaped
on upper parts of plant, basal leaves are usually lobed with pointed
tips. Leaves are hairy and upper leaf surface is darker than underside.
Ecological
Adaptations:
Louisiana
sage is found throughout Utah in the upland, mountain, and high
mountain climatic zones. It grows mostly in open, sunny areas. It
is reported to be one of the most important forbs in the Great Basin
and Intermountain region, particularly throughout the subalpine
areas of Utah.
Louisiana sage establishes and persists on severely disturbed sites
throughout a wide range of plant communities. Plants spread rapidly
by rhizomes, providing excellent soil cover and stabilization. It
is able to tolerate moderate erosion. Once established, Lousiana
sage serves as a nurse shrub.
Soils: It
occurs on a variety of soils. It does well in deep clays and loams
as well as in sandy soils. It can tolerate slightly acidic to basic
soils.
Associated Species:
Chokecherry,
basin wildrye, big
sagebrush, bluebunch
wheatgrass, ponderosa pine,
and aspen.
Uses and
Management:
Louisiana
sage provides fair to poor forage value for cattle, and fair for
sheep. It is somewhat palatable to elk, deer, and pronghorn, with
palatability decreasing as you move north to south.
American Indians called it "man sage" and used it for
ceremonial and purification purposes. It was also used to deodorize
feet, cure headaches, treat coughs, hemorrhoids, stomach troubles,
and wounds on horses. It is useful in expelling, or at least inhibiting
roundworm and pinworm infections, hence its common name "wormwood."
It was also made into pillows and saddle pads and was burned to
drive mosquitoes away.
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