Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata)   Sagebrush is the state flower of Nevada. Buy state flowers

Sagebrush is one of the most unusual state flowers. It’s not a plant you expect to see growing in a garden, an alpine meadow, or a forest glen. Rather, sagebrush carpets mile after mile of what many people refer to as wasteland in the American West. It grows abundantly in the deserts of the Western United States, in regions where other kinds of vegetation cannot subsist. A member of the wormwood family, sagebrush is a branching bush. It grows 1 to 12 feet high, and has small yellow and white flowers in the spring. Known for its pleasant aroma, its gray-green twigs, and pale yellow flowers, sagebrush is an important winter food for sheep and cattle. Native Americans used sagebrush leaves as medicine and sagebrush bark for weaving mats. The presence of sagebrush is an indicator of soil fertility. Farmers know that alfalfa will likely flourish where sagebrush occurs. There was little fanfare when sagebrush was adopted as Nevada’s state emblem in 1917. Perhaps no one noticed because they had considered it the state flower all along. In 1929, two sprays of sagebrush were depicted on Nevada’s state flag. The flag design has changed since, but the sagebrush remains. ********

Copyrighted ©Parkwell's
All rights are reserved.