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Shrubbery
Sagebrush Artemisia tridentata  Artemisia tridentata Artemisia is a generic name honouring the Greek goddess Artemis, known in the West as Diana; many medicinal plants share this genus with sagebrush, such as A. ludoviciana, A. vulgaris, and A. absinthum. The specific epithet tridentata refers to the leaves, which have at the end three "teeth", a useful tool for identification. Look for small, grey, hairy leaves an inch long or less, rather strap-like and shaped like a long wedge. The tip of the leaf should have the three teeth. A crushed leaf will give off the characteristic odour of sagebrush, a somewhat spicy, bitter smell; in areas where sagebrush is the predominant shrub, its familiar scent is almost omnipresent during warmer weather. The stems and twigs are grey; the younger twigs are hairy, and older twigs are covered in a stringy, fragile bark that falls off easily. The trunks of older plants are usually low to the ground and twisted into interesting shapes; in areas with deeper soil and more water, the trunks can be taller than a person and somewhat straighter, though still slightly twisting. The inflorescences are, as described above, composed of small, pale yellow flowers; they appear in late summer on the ends of the branches. There are a few subspecies of this widespread species, and differences in the inflorescence are often helpful in differentiating them.
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