Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

sand sagebrush Asteraceae Artemisia filifolia Torr. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: ARFI2
Leaf: Simple, alternate (but typically clustered at each node), persistent (but some leaves are drought deciduous). Small (1/2 to 2 inches long) and narrowly lanceolate or linear, but may be narrowly 3-lobed; silvery-green and slightly pubescent on both surfaces; faintly scented; sessile.
Flower: Species is monoecious; flowers very small, yellowish, and tubular; borne in small heads on long, upright spikes; some flowers perfect and some imperfect; appearing late summer to early winter.
Fruit: Very small achenes; barely ribbed.
Twig: Young twigs are slender, silvery-gray, and slightly pubescent, becoming grayish brown as they age.
Bark: Grayish brown, shreddy, and splitting lengthwise.
Form: An upright, evergreen shrub to 5 feet tall.
Looks like: big sagebrush - smallflower tamarisk

leaf
form1
map

Additional Range Information: Artemisia filifolia is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information