Artemisia pygmaea

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Artemisia pygmaea, or pygmy sagebrush, is a small North American sagebrush in the daisy family. It forms a cushion-like shrub up to about 20 centimeters (8 inches) tall and grows from a taproot. The tiny leaves are under 1 centimeter long and may be toothed or deeply lobed. Its flower heads have 3–5 disc florets and no ray florets. The plant is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate plants, and it blooms in August and September. It is one of the plants parasitized by Orobanche fasciculata.

This shrub is native to the Southwestern United States, including parts of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. It is uncommon across much of its range but can be locally abundant where it occurs. It grows in very dry habitats such as desert grasslands, pinyon–juniper woodlands, and playas, especially in the Great Basin and Uinta Basin. It favors calcareous soils like gypsum and can tolerate alkali, salty soils, and clay—soils where many other plants won’t grow. Its small size is an adaptation to dry conditions.

Conservation status: Apparently Secure (NatureServe).

Taxonomy: Binomial Artemisia pygmaea A.Gray; synonyms include Seriphidium pygmaeum (A. Gray) W.A. Weber; Family Asteraceae; Genus Artemisia.