Artemisia rigida

Description

Artemisia rigida is a small, spreading, deciduous shrub with many woody branches up to 40 centimeters long. The stems mature to gray and hairy and are often reddish during early growth. The leaves are up to 4 centimeters long and trident-shaped. They are grayish in color from their coat of silvery hairs. The similar Artemisia tripartita leaf typically has shorter woolly hairs. The plant is "mildly" scented. The flower heads are somewhat bell-shaped and measure about half a centimeter wide. They contain 4 to 8 yellow-red to red florets.

Range and Ecology

Artemisia rigida grows in harsh substrates where few other plants survive. The soil is generally very shallow and covers bedrock. The bedrock is always basalt, never granite. The roots of the plant are within the shallow soil layer with some anchoring in rock fractures. There is also sometimes a layer of impermeable clay. The substrate commonly undergoes frost heaving, which breaks it up. On these unproductive sites, which occur in the Channeled Scablands, for example, this plant is a climax species. It is an indicator of scabland habitat.

Artemisia rigida provides food for wildlife because it is often the only plant exposed as the snow melts in the spring on mostly barren landscapes. Livestock also like it, especially the seedheads.

References

References

1. [http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/gcc-54609 The Plant List ''Artemisia rigida'' (Nutt.) A.Gray ]
2. and '''stiff sagebrush'''. It is native to the northwestern [[United States]], in [[Washington (state). Washington]], [[Idaho]], and [[Oregon]].[http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Artemisia%20rigida.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map]
3. McWilliams, Jack. 2003. [http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/artrig/all.html ''Artemisia rigida''.] In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
4. [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250066163 ''Artemisia rigida''.] Flora of North America.
5. Daubenmire, R. (1982). [http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/org_nws/NWSci%20journal%20articles/1982%20files/Issue%203/v56%20p162%20Daubenmire.PDF The distribution of ''Artemisia rigidia'' in Washington: A challenge to ecology and geology.] {{webarchive. link. (June 7, 2012 ''Northwest Science'' 56(3) 162.)
6. In the [[Columbia River Drainage Basin. Columbia Basin]] it often [[dominance (ecology). dominates]] regions with thin rocky soils, and has [[Poa secunda. link. (November 16, 2011 USFWS Hanford Reach National Monument.)