white sagebrush
Artemisia ludoviciana · Asteraceae
white sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 3 and warmer, down to about -38°F.
⚠ Allelopathic. USDA flags this plant as releasing compounds that can suppress the growth of plants near it. Give neighbours extra room, and expect some companions to struggle regardless of how well their conditions match.
Both flags are quoted from USDA PLANTS, not inferred.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 3 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 6–9 USDA |
| Bloom | July USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 3 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 9 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 3.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 3 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of July. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is white-gray, medium in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 10 to 60 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 70 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 8 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, container stock and sprigs. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a moderate rate. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated medium. Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Artemisia
- little sagebrush Artemisia arbuscula
- boreal sagebrush Artemisia arctica
- silver sagebrush Artemisia cana
- prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida
Similar role and hardiness
- sweetflag Acorus americanus
- calamus Acorus calamus
- common yarrow Achillea millefolium
- western yarrow Achillea millefolium
- redtop Agrostis gigantea
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol ARLU, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Allelopathy, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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