Artemisia ludoviciana
(White Sagebrush)
Artemisia ludoviciana, Lake Colorado City State Park, Mitchell Co. 3227
Artemisia ludoviciana, Lake Colorado City State Park, Mitchell Co. 3231
Artemisia ludoviciana, Lake Colorado City State Park, Mitchell Co. 3242
Artemisia ludoviciana, Lake Colorado City State Park, Mitchell Co. 0707
| Scientific Name | Artemisia ludoviciana | USDA PLANTS Symbol | ARLU |
| Common Name | White Sagebrush, Silver Wormwood | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 35474 |
| Family | Asteraceae (Sunflower) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description | Habitat: A widespread species found in a variety of habitats throughout most of North America; two subspecies mexicana and redolens are found in Texas; rocky, loam soils in various conditions. Plant: Erect, bushy perennial 8 to 32 inches tall with several to many gray-green, simple or branched stems. Leaves: Alternate stem leaves, blades are variable in shape, but generally lanceolate to ovate and irregularly pinnately-lobed (pinnatifid), 2 to 4 inches long and 0.2 to 0.4 inches wide; bicolor (white and green) with surfaces, especially the lower, densely covered with short matted woolly hairs (tomentose). Inflorescence: Narrow, open to dense panicle 2 to 12 inches long with many erect or nodding flower heads that are less than 1/4-inch in diameter, sessile, or on very short peduncles; flowers have no rays but many (up to 45) yellow or sometimes red-tinged disk florets; bell-shaped involucre about 1/8-inch tall with phyllaries that are densely covered with short matted woolly hairs (tomentose) or smooth. Bloom Period: August to November. References: "Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas" by Correll and Johnston, "Shinners & Mahler’s Flora of North Central Texas" by Diggs, Lipscomb and O’Kennon, Flora of North America, US Forest Service and SEINet. Note: Most, but not all, references recognize a few subspecies, but with often conflicting descriptions. The plants here are thought to be A. ludoviciana ssp. mexicana or A. ludoviciana ssp. redolens (less likely). Shinners & Mahler’s rules out A. ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana in Texas; Correll and Johnston state that defining subspecies is not jusstified. |
BONAP Distribution Map Map Color Key |
Texas Status: Native |
Banner photo of Castilleja indivisa and Lupinus ssp. taken along FM 1323 north of Johnson City, Blanco County
© Tom Lebsack 2024