• ABBREVIATION
• SYNONYMS
• NRCS PLANT CODE
• COMMON NAMES
• TAXONOMY
• LIFE FORM
• FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS
• OTHER STATUS
• AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION

ABBREVIATION:

ARTTRIT

SYNONYMS:

Artemisia tridentata Nutt. var. tridentata (Beetle & Young) Welsh [28,113]
Seriphidium tridentatum (Nutt.) Weber [109]

NRCS PLANT CODE:

ARTRT

COMMON NAMES:

basin big sagebrush

TAXONOMY:

The scientific name of basin big sagebrush is Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. tridentata (Asteraceae) [6,49,62]. Genotypic and phenotypic variation is common in basin big sagebrush. Both diploid and tetraploid plants occur, but diploids are most common [4]. At least 4 or 5 subspecies of big sagebrush (A. tridentata) have been identified [49,62]. Kartesz [62] recognizes the following subspecies:

A. tridentata ssp. tridentata - basin big sagebrush
A. tridentata ssp. spiciformis (Osterhout) Kartesz & Gandhi - big sagebrush
A. tridentata ssp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle - mountain big sagebrush
A. tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young - Wyoming big sagebrush
A. tridentata ssp. xericensis Winward ex Rosentreter & R. Kelsey - big sagebrush

Freeman and others [39] suggest "each subspecies is distinct in pure stands, but at contact points introgression may blur the distinctions." Ecotypes occur in each subspecies [73].

Hybrids between basin big sagebrush and mountain big sagebrush have been confirmed [44,67]. "Hybrid zones" exist between these 2 subspecies in parts of Utah [39,40,106]. In southeastern Idaho, introgression between the 2 subspecies is common [94]. The "hybrid zone" which occurs across a narrow elevational band between the 2 parent taxa is believed to be stable. In Utah, it is generally less than 0.6 miles (1 km) wide and in some locations, less than 330 feet (100 m) wide [40]. Hybrids between basin big sagebrush and mountain big sagebrush are intermediate for all characters and exhibit considerable genetic variation [40,107].

LIFE FORM:

shrub

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:

No special status

OTHER STATUS:

no entry

AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION:

Tirmenstein, D. (1999, August). Artemisia tridentata spp. tridentata. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for SPECIES: Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata | Basin Big Sagebrush