William Weber indicates that "chemically and morphologically"  Artemisia and Seriphidium are "distinct".  In his botanical key he separates them on the basis of ray flowers: Artemisia has small ray flowers; Seriphidium has no ray flowers.

Artemis was Apollo's twin sister and daughter of Zeus and Leto; she was the equivalent of the Greek Diana, goddess of the moon, the woods, and the wild, who, the legend states, derived so much good from plants of this kind that all such plants are named for her.  Intermountain Flora presents another etymology: the genus is named for Artemisia, historical Queen of Caria (in present day Turkey) who was a "noted botanist, medical researcher, and scholar".  She was named for the Greek god.

"Seriphos" is Greek for "wormwood", the common name often applied to a number of Sage plants.

See more Artemisia   and   Seriphidium shrubs.

Artemisia bigelovii  (Dwarf Sagebrush)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Semi-desert, foothills. Shrublands. Fall.
Behind the Rocks, Utah, April 24, 2006.

This rimrock loving species of shrub looks at first much like a miniature Seriphidium tridentatum (see below) with lobed leaves, woody stems and base, and long clusters of miniature flowers in the fall.  (The dried gray flower stalks persist.)  Artemisia bigelovii flowers do, however, have rays, in contrast to the rayless Seriphidium tridentatum and A. bigelovii always stays compact, growing to about two feet wide and high.

In 1857 Asa Gray named this plant for John Bigelow who collected numerous new species with the Mexican Boundary and Whipple Surveys.  Bigelow collected this species in Texas.  (More biographical information.)

Artemisia bigelovii  (Dwarf Sagebrush)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Semi-desert, foothills. Shrublands. Fall.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, March 12, 2007.
Butler Wash, Utah, August 27, 2007.

The top picture shows that first leaves are rounded and then gradually become three-lobed.  Velvety hairs thickly cover the leaves, but in the center of the picture you can see the actual bright green of the leaf where I scraped off the hairs.

The bottom picture shows that upper stem leaves of flowering branches can be linear and smooth-edged or have just a hint of notching.

Artemisia filifolia (Sand Sagebrush)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Semi-desert. Shrublands, sand. Late summer, fall.
Arches National Park, Utah, May 4, 2005.

This pleasantly aromatic and very handsome Sage grows from two-to-five feet tall in deep sandy soils.  It flowers yellow-to-brown in late summer and fall.  Fine foliage gives rise to its Latin specific epithet, "filifolia".

Artemisia filifolia (Sand Sagebrush)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Semi-desert. Shrublands, sand. Late summer, fall.
Arches National Park, Utah, May 4, 2005.

Arching, slender leaves, young stems, and tiny yellow/brown flowers are covered in soft hairs.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Artemisia bigelovii  

Range map for Artemisia filifolia