California sagebrush (Trees & Shrubs of the Sunol Region

California sagebrush

Artemisia californica

Summary ⁷

Artemisia californica, also known as California sagebrush, of the Asteraceae family, is a shrub that grows in coastal sage scrub, coastal strand, chaparral, and dry foothill communities, from sea level to 800 m (2600 ft.). It is native to California and Baja California.

Description ⁸

Shrubs, (20–)150–250 cm (rounded), pungently aromatic. Stems relatively numerous, arched, green or brown, branched (slender, wandlike, bases brittle), densely canescent to glabrate. Leaves cauline, light green to gray; blades filiform or spatulate to obovate, 3–5(–9) × 0.5–2 cm, sometimes pinnately lobed (lobes filiform, 0.5–1 mm wide), faces sparsely to densely hairy. Heads (nodding at maturity, pedunculate) in paniculiform arrays 6–20 × 1–3 cm (branches erect to broadly spreading). Involucres globose, 2–3(–4) × 2–4(–5) mm. Phyllaries broadly ovate, sparsely canescent. Florets: pistillate 6–10; bisexual 18–25; corollas pale yellow, 0.8–1.2 mm, glabrous. Cypselae ellipsoid, 0.5–1.5 mm, resinous (pappi coroniform). 2n = 18.