Coastal Sagebrush

Scientific Name:
Artemisia californicaproducer
Description

This gray-green shrub has thin leaves and grows along California’s coast. It is drought-resistant, which means it can survive in areas with very little rainfall.

Fun Facts

While not a sage, coastal or California sagebrush has a strong, aromatic scent. Another name for it is “cowboy cologne,” because after a long, sweaty day of work, cowboys would rub it on themselves in order to smell better. Only dusky-footed woodrats will eat this plant.

Nature Topics
Plants and Geology, Shrubs, Plant Communities

Habitat

Feeding

Further Reading

This plant is found in great abundance in the coastal scrub. Growing 2 to 5 feet tall, it has woody lower branches and is drought resistant. Though highly flammable, it often grows back after fires. While not a true sage, i.e., not a Salvia, the thread-like leaves do have a delicious sage-like odor thanks to its terpene oils.  However, this shrub makes a horrible “neighbor” as its oils also interfere with the growth and reproduction of plants around it.

Sagebrush is perhaps the most important component of the coastal scrub. Birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians and mammals find it is a vital resource for nesting materials and food. It also provides them shelter from predators.  Native Americans widely used sagebrush medicinally for both menstrual and respiratory disorders. They also used it dried as a burning smudge during purification rituals, as many people still do today.

Related Media
A dense cluster of coastal sagebrush with thin, gray-green leaves and tall, slender stems grows in bright sunlight along a dry coastal hillside.

Photo credit: ©Kip Evans

Coastal Sagebrush relies on

  • Line drawing on the sun

    Sun

  • Line drawing of a water drop

    Water

  • Line drawing of a plant above ground and its roots below ground

    Nutrients