[Sagebrush: The Genus Artemisia East of the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]

Hoary Sagebrush, Silver Sage, Silver sagebrush

Artemisia cana ssp. bolanderi

Synonyms: Artemisia bolanderi, Artemisia tridentata ssp. bolanderi, Artemisia tridentata var. bolanderi, Seriphidium canum ssp. bolanderi

Silver sagebrush as seen along Forest Service Road #1647 in southeastern Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest...........August 3, 2011.

Hoary Sagebrush, Silver Sagebrush: Artemisia cana ssp. bolanderi (Synonyms: Artemisia bolanderi, Artemisia tridentata ssp. bolanderi, Artemisia tridentata var. bolanderi, Seriphidium canum ssp. bolanderi)

Silver sage? as seen at the radio tower atop Gordon Ridge, directly southeast from the mouth of the Deschutes River, Columbia River Gorge........April 23, 2000.

Characteristics:

Also known as hoary sagebrush, silver sage is branched, rounded shrub from 50-120 cm high. The plants spread underground and can rapidly grow back after fire. The leaves are broadly linear to linear-oblong in shape and are covered with a dense, silvery covering of short hairs (as seen in the photos). The leaves range from 3-6 cm long and 1.5 -5 mm long. They usually have entire margins, although some may have one or two lateral lobes.

The inflorescence consists of numerous leafy panicles. The panicles range from 10-30 cm long. The involucres are 4-5 mm high. All the bracts are often tomentose, or the leafy outermost bracts may be tomentose while the ovate to orbicular-shaped mid and inner bracts may be glabrous. The flower heads consist of 8-15 discoid flowers.

Habitat:

Silver sage may be found in dry to moderately moist meadows and bottomlands, often soils with poorer drainage.

Range:

Silver sage may be found to the east of the Cascade Mts. from central Oregon south into California (to the east of the Sierra Nevada) and east through central Idaho to southern Saskatchewan, Nebraska, Colorado, and northern Arizona.

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Silver sagebrush as seen along Forest Service Road #1647 in southeastern Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest..........August 3, 2011.

Additional examples of silver sagebrush as seen at the edges of meadows west of FS Road #4215 in Antler Prairie, Ochoco National Forest...........May 27, 2016.

Sagebrush sponge galls (Rhopalonyia sp.) on silver sagebrush (Artemisia cana) along Forest Road 3915 several miles north of the California border, Mount Bidwell Recreation Area......July 18, 2022.

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Silver sage? as seen at the radio tower atop Gordon Ridge, directly southeast from the mouth of the Deschutes River, ........April 23, 2000. I have yet to see this plant in bloom, and it is not supposed to be found near the Columbia River Gorge, so if this isn't silver sage, I'd appreciate any ideas on what it would be.

Paul Slichter