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Picrothamnus desertorum.
Synonym:
Artemisia spinescens. (Spiny Sagebrush) Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Semi-desert. Openings, hills. Spring. Spiny Sagebrush is aromatic, rounded, and densely hairy. Portions of branches often die but remain on the shrub, giving the plant spiny projections. Leaves drop in mid-summer heat. Intermountain Flora classifies this plant as an Artemisia but notes that it "is so distinct from all other species [in that genus]". It is, for instance, the only Artemisia to bloom in the spring. Greek gives us both "picro", "bitter or pungent" and "thamnos", "shrub". A specimen of this plant was first collected by Thomas Nuttall near the headwaters of the North Platte River; he named the plant Picrothamnus desertorum in 1841, and D.C. Eaton renamed it Artemisia spinescens in 1871. |
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Picrothamnus desertorum. Synonym: Artemisia spinescens. (Spiny Sagebrush) Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Semi-desert. Openings, hills. Spring. Leaves are very finely palmately divided, tightly packed, small, and linear. Flowers are minute and also tightly packed. Notice the contrast between the soft and appealing leaves and flowers that we see in these close-up photographs and the not so aesthetically appealing plant shown above. Getting close to plants and seeing them on their level almost invariably shows remarkable beauty. |
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Picrothamnus desertorum.
Synonym:
Artemisia spinescens. (Spiny Sagebrush) Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Semi-desert. Openings, hills. Spring. |
Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Picrothamnus desertorum |
Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state
Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Eradicated
Questionable presence