BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Artemisia filifolia | Sand Sagebrush 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Sand sagebrush is a round, freely branching, cold temperate shrub which
grows up to 5 feet (1.5 m) tall [27,39].  Leaves are filiform, and both
fertile pistillate and sterile disk flowers are present [26].  It is
well adapted to low-fertility sandy soils and concentrates nutrients in
levels greater than those of the soil in which it grows.  Sand sagebrush
may have reduced mineral requirements for growth or an increased ion
exchange capacity in the root system which allows this plant to survive
on infertile, sandy sites [32].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Sand sagebrush produces seed in abundance which enables the species to
quickly reoccupy a site [21].  Seed is small and light, and cleaned seed
averages approximately 3,134,000 per pound (6,910 per gram) [27].  Seed
ripens from October to December, but relatively little is reported about
germination or seed dispersal [26].  Research indicates that seeds
buried shallowly germinate better than seeds planted at greater depths
[5].

Germination of sand sagebrush is generally rapid, and no stratification
or scarification is required.  In laboratory experiments, seeds of sand
sagebrush first germinated 17 days after planting [5].  The lightness of
sand sagebrush seeds suggests that wind dispersal from off-site sources
is probable.  It is unclear whether individual plants can resprout after
disturbance [46,49], but, in any event, resprouting is probably unlikely
or rare.


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Sand sagebrush grows on dunes, sand hills, and deep sands throughout the
southern Great Plains, southern Rocky Mountains, northern Chihuahuan
Desert, and portions of the Mohave Desert and Great Basin [22,34,42,43].
It is the most widespread shrub on dunes and sand hills from Nebraska to
Arizona and is the dominant woody plant of the southern Great Plains
[26,28,48].  Sand sagebrush is locally dominant in desert scrub, plains
grasslands, prairie, and semidesert grassland communities [28,39].

Distribution of sand sagebrush is largely related to edaphic factors.
Sand sagebrush typically grows on dry, coarse, sandy, low-fertility
soils and is reported to be an excellent indicator of sandy soil
[22,26].  Sand sagebrush soils in southern Utah were found to have less
clay and organics, fewer nutrients, and a lower overall soil fertility
than neighboring blackbrush (Colegyne ramosissima) soils [32].  Sand
sagebrush is particularly well adapted to grow on low-fertility or
alkaline soils [31,32].  Widely scattered individuals and occasional
denser concentrations are present in the Great Basin and Mohave desert
scrub communities on dunes or deep loose sand where sandstone has been
weathered and redeposited [39,43].  Sand sagebrush communities of
southern Utah commonly occur on deep sands derived from the Navajo
Formation [32].

Sand sagebrush is a cold temperate shrub [39].  Average annual
temperatures on sand sagebrush sites of southern Utah range from 58 to
l66 degrees F (14-19 degrees C), with an annual growing season of 190 to
205 days [32].  Annual precipitation averages 8 to 10 inches (200 to 275
mm) [32].

Elevational ranges of sand sagebrush are as follows [13]:

    from      3,600 to 5,500 ft (1,097 to 1,676 m) in CO
              4,500 to 6,000 ft (1,372 to 1,829 m) in UT
              4,100 to 4,600 ft (1,250 to 1,402 m) in WY


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

A preference for sandy soils allows sand sagebrush to thrive and grow as
an important climax species on a variety of sandy sites throughout its
relatively wide range.  Sand sagebrush is an important constituent of a
number of edaphic climax communities on sand sagebrush-bluestem prairie
in the Southwest and with sand bluestem in parts of Colorado and Kansas
[23,29].  It also grows as a climax species in sand dune communities of
southern New Mexico [8] and presumably elsewhere.  Succession in these
dune communities begins with a "mat stage" in which drought-tolerant
plants begin colonizing unstable sand and progresses to a "ruderal weed
stage" with greater moisture [8].  As erosion decreases,
drought-enduring shrubs such as broom snakeweed and sand sagebrush
increase in prominence, along with switchgrass (Panicum spp.),
three-awns, and other grasses [8].  Grasses such as dropseed may then
increase following several years of adequate precipitation, until
ultimately black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) dominates the climax
community [8].

Precise patterns of succession are less well documented in many other
types of sand sagebrush communities.  Generally, sand sagebrush,
although a climax species, increases in response to grazing or drought.
Sand sagebrush has the ability to increase rapidly following disturbance
and also grows well in a number of early seral communities.  Sand
sagebrush has not been well studied, and the ecology of this species is
still poorly known [11].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Yearly growth of sand sagebrush begins in the early spring.  In the
southern Great Plains, one-half of the season's twig growth is completed
by May 25 and growth is nearly finished by June 15 [19].  By mid- to
late June twigs have attained approximately 6 to 10 inches (15-25 cm) of
new growth [37].  Flowers typically form a plumelike structure from July
to October [44].  In many locations, full biomass potential is reached
by the last week of July [11].  Flowering dates are as follows [13]:

     State      Earliest date of flowering      Latest date of flowering
      CO                July                            September
      UT                August                          October
      WY                August                          September

Seed ripens from October to December [26].

Related categories for Species: Artemisia filifolia | Sand Sagebrush