sagebrush
Artemisia tridentata

Family: Asteraceae.

Type: Small shrub.

Leaves: Leaves are aromatic. The name "tridentata" means "three-toothed," and comes from the shape of the leaves, which have three teeth at their ends. The leaf shape resembles a duck's foot, whereas the California sagebrush's leaf resembles a chicken foot. Unlike California sagebrush, this sagebrush has only one leaf type, because it grows only during summer.

Twig: Woody and fibrous.

Fruit & Flower: Inflorescences are very similar to that of California sagebrush.

Miscellaneous: Also called Great Basin sagebrush. The Great Basin Desert is the northernmost of California's deserts, stretching across a large part of the intermountain West, and it is a cold desert at high altitude; it freezes during winter. The community found in this desert is therefore quite different from that of the southern deserts.