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Artemisia ludoviciana gnaphalodes

Common name:	White Sage	Family:	Compositae
Author:	(Nutt.)Torr.&Gr	Botanical references:	43
Synonyms:	Artemisia gnaphalodes (Nutt.)
Known Hazards:	Although no reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, skin contact with some members of this genus can cause dermatitis or other allergic reactions in some people[222].
Range:	N. America - Ontario and Illinois to Alberta, Missouri, Texas and Mexico.
Habitat:	Prairies, plains and dry open soils[43, 235].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. diversifolia[B,P] A. herriotii[B,P] A. ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana[B,C,CAL,P] A. ludoviciana ssp. typica[B,P] A. ludoviciana var. americana[B,P] A. ludoviciana var. brittonii[B,P] A. ludoviciana var. gnaphalodes[B,P] A. ludoviciana var. latifolia[B,P] A. ludoviciana var. pabularis[B,P] A. pabularis[B,P] A. purshiana[B,P] A. vulgaris ssp. ludoviciana[B,P] A. vulgaris var. ludoviciana[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Foothill Sagewort [P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us(Indian)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 5. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antirheumatic; Febrifuge; Foot care; Miscellany; Ophthalmic; Poultice; Vulnerary.

An infusion of the plant is used to treat stomach problems, coughs, colds, headaches etc[61, 257]. A decoction of the leaves is used as a bath to treat fevers and can be applied as a wash to sores, rashes, itches, skin eruptions etc[257]. An infusion of the leaves has been used as an eyewash[257].
The powdered leaves can be applied to the nostrils to stop nose bleeds, sprinkled on sores they will hasten the healing process[257].
The crushed plant can be rubbed on the body as a liniment to treat rheumatic joints, soreness or stiffness[257].
The plant can be placed in the shoes to keep the feet from sweating[257].

Other Uses

Incense; Miscellany.

Bunches of the plants have been used as towels[257].
The plant can be burnt as an incense[257].

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a well-drained circumneutral or slightly alkaline loamy soil, preferring a warm sunny dry position[1, 200]. Established plants are drought tolerant[200]. Plants are longer lived, more hardy and more aromatic when they are grown in a poor dry soil[245].
Slugs are attracted to the young shoots in spring and have been known to destroy even well-established plants[K].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow from late winter to early summer in a greenhouse, making sure that the compost does not dry out[200]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer.
Division in spring or autumn[200].
Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the young shoots when about10 - 15cm long, pot up in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse or cold frame and plant them out when well rooted. Very easy.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Artemisia gnaphalodes (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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