VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Artemisia ludoviciana | Louisiana Sagewort 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Louisiana sagewort has limited value as a forage species.  It may be of
seasonal importance to domestic sheep, mule deer, elk, and other game
animals [26,28] and is reported to be one of the most frequently
utilized forbs by mule deer in the Rocky Mountains [14].  Plants probably
receive select utilization during late fall and winter due to their
location on exposed ridges and snow-free sites.  Louisiana sagewort
increases in response to grazing on rough fescue (Festuca scabrella)
grassland habitat types in Montana [18].


PALATABILITY : 
Palatability of Louisiana sagewort generally decreases from north to
south.  In portions of Idaho and Utah it is an important domestic sheep
browse during the fall and winter [27,28].  Large mammal utilization of
Louisiana sagewort is primarily confined to green tissue [27].  Some
forms produce large basal rosettes that remain green throughout most of
the winter, but most of the stems and leaves typically die back to the
ground following persistent frost, and this material does not cure well.

The relish and degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for
Louisiana sagewort in several western states is rated as follows [5]:
                      CO        MT       ND        UT        WY
Cattle               Poor      Poor     Poor      Fair      Poor 
Sheep                Fair      Fair     Fair      Good      Fair 
Horses               Fair      Poor     Fair      Poor      Fair 
Pronghorn            ----      Good     Fair      Fair      Fair 
Elk                  ----      Fair     ----      Fair      Fair 
Mule deer            ----      Fair     Poor      Fair      Fair
White-tailed deer    ----      Poor     Poor      ----      Poor
Small mammals        ----      Fair     ----      Fair      Fair 
Small nongame birds  ----      Fair     ----      Fair      Fair  
Upland game birds    ----      Fair     Poor      Fair      Fair 
Waterfowl            ----      ----     ----      Poor      Poor 


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Louisiana sagewort is rated fair in energy and protein value [5].


COVER VALUE : 
The degree to which Louisiana sagewort provides environmental protection
during one or more seasons for wildlife species is as follows [5]:

                         MT       ND       UT       WY
Pronghorn               ----     Fair     Poor     Poor 
Elk                     ----     ----     Poor     Poor 
Mule deer               ----     Poor     Poor     Poor 
White-tailed deer       ----     Poor     ----     Poor 
Small mammals           Fair     ----     Fair     Fair 
Small nongame birds     Fair     ----     Fair     Poor 
Upland game birds       Fair     Fair     Fair     Poor 
Waterfowl               Poor     ----     Poor     Poor 


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Louisiana sagewort establishes and persists on severely disturbed sites
throughout a wide range of plant communities.  Plants spread rapidly by
rhizomes, providing excellent soil cover and stabilization.  Louisiana
sagewort produced dense masses of rhizomes and fibrous roots the year
following planting on sites in the Intermountain region [24].  It is
able to tolerate moderate erosion.  Once established, Lousiana sagewort
serves as a nurse shrub [26].

Stranathan and Monsen [26] reported a cultivar, 'Summit' Louisiana
sagewort, that is recommended for use on high-elevation disturbed sites.
This cultivar has successfully established on sandy, blowout mine spoils
at elevations above 7,500 feet (2,300 m).  It can spread 78 inches (200
cm) within 5 years after planting on unstable, steep slopes.  Further
cultivar development is expected within the Louisiana sagewort complex.

Louisiana sagewort is adapted for use in basin big sagebrush (A.
tridentata ssp. tridentata), mountain big sagebrush (A. tridentata ssp.
vaseyana), pinyon-juniper, mountain brush, aspen, and subalpine herbland
communities [24].  It is also useful for riparian plantings in forested,
mountain brush, and sagebrush-desert types [15,17].  Although it can be
established via transplanting, direct seeding is the most practical
method of plant establishment on large projects.  Seeds are planted
in the fall separately or in mixtures by drill, aerial, or broadcast
seeding.  Small seed size requires that special precautions be taken
when using a standard drill operation.  Stranathan and Mosen [26]
recommend shallow planting depths at a rate of 0.25 pounds or less of
seed per acre (280 g/ha); broadcast seeding should be followed by a
light harrowing.


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
American Indians used Lousisana sagewort for ceremonial and purification
purposes.  Other historical uses include treating headaches, coughs,
hemorrhoids, stomach disorders, and wounded horses.  These highly
aromatic plants were also made into pillows and saddlepads [27].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Species: Artemisia ludoviciana | Louisiana Sagewort