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California Sagebrush
Artemisia californica
  
About California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica) 87 Nurseries Carry This Plant With its aromatic fragrance and threadlike, silvery-green foliage, California Sagebrush (Artemesia californica) is a feast for the senses. This resilient, easy-to-grow shrub thrives in the toughest environments. It's a good choice for dry, sunny, and sloped areas. It tolerates nutrient-poor sandy soil, as long as it's well-draining.

California Sagebrush is extremely drought adapted; some summer water is optional but not required. A little pruning keeps it compact in the garden.

This important coastal scrub plant supports the California gnatcatcher and quail, as well as other bird and insect species.
Bornstein, C., Fross, D., O’Brien, B. (2011). Reimagining the California Lawn: Water-conserving Plants, Practices, and Designs. Cachuma Press. Artemisia californica / California Sagebrush (1 gallon) — Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden. (n.d.). Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden. https://www.santaynezvalleybotanicgarden.org/plants-for-sale/artemisia-californica-california-sagebrush
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
1 - 8 ft tall
4 ft wide

Form
Form
Mounding, Rounded, Spreading

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Cream, White, Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 
California Gnatcatcher, Quail, various other birds, insects

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 5 confirmed , 21 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Pero macdunnoughi Image
Pero macdunnoughiPero macdunnoughi
Plataea personaria Image
Plataea personariaPlataea personaria
Aseptis susquesa Image
Aseptis susquesaAseptis susquesa
Eupithecia acutipennis Image
Eupithecia acutipennisEupithecia acutipennis
Miodera stigmata Image
Miodera stigmataMiodera stigmata

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Usually found on very dry slopes or sandy soil with low nutrient content, although it is also said to tolerate clay. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Groundcovers, Butterfly Gardens, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Black Sage, White Sage, California Encelia, Chamise, Coyote Brush, California Buckwheat, Sticky Monkeyflower, Woolly Bluecurls, Scrub Oaks, Toyon, Lemonadeberry, Yucca spp, various cactus species

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
7, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dry slopes and flats, often south facing.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.4" - 63.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 1.67", Coldest Month: 39.8" - 59.4", Hottest Month: 57.7" - 87.8", Humidity: 0.29" - 38.63", Elevation: -22" - 4748"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Coast Sagebrush, Coastal Sage Brush, Coastal Sagebrush


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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