Artemisia frigida

Did You Know?

• In the Zuni language this plant is called to'shoeha'chikĭa, meaning 'seeds leaf sweet'.
• Ranchers have considered the plant both an adequate forage species and a worthless nuisance species.
• The plant is not closely related to the true sages Salvia.

Description

This perennial plant grows from a woody base, with stems that sprawl outward to form a low mat or clump reaching up to 40 cm tall. Its gray-green leaves are lobed and covered in silvery hairs. The flower heads are spherical, about half a centimeter wide, and packed into a dense inflorescence; each head is lined with woolly, gray-green or brownish phyllaries. Inside, there are several pistillate ray florets and many bisexual disc florets. The plant has a strong, aromatic scent. It can produce a huge number of seeds, but also spreads by layering, and in some years yields very few seeds. Artemisia frigida is common in dry, disturbed areas, especially across the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, where it grows in grasslands, shrublands, and woodlands. Overgrowth often signals overgrazing on rangeland, and it can become an aggressive weed.

Cultivation

Artemisia frigida is cultivated for its foliage effects and has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Wildflower author Claude A. Barr considered it and Artemisia longifolia the only two Artemisia species safe for gardens, as others like Artemisia tridentata spread too aggressively. It is also used in landscaping, erosion control, and revegetation of rangeland, and is drought-resistant.

Ecology and uses

Wild animals such as white-tailed jackrabbits and sage grouse consume the plant. Indigenous peoples of North America use it medicinally: the Blackfoot for coughs, colds, wounds, and heartburn; the Cree for headache and fever; the Tewa for gastritis and indigestion. The Blackfoot also used crushed leaves to revive gophers after children clubbed them in a game. The Zuni make an infusion of the whole plant for colds, and attach sprigs with corn ears to decorated tablets carried by female dancers in a drama; the sprigs are also dipped in water and planted with corn to promote abundant growth. Mongol herders in Inner Mongolia prepare a water-based decoction of fresh or dried Artemisia frigida with Sabina vulgaris, Sanguisorba officinalis, Rhododendron micranthum, and Ephedra sinica to treat joint pain.