Description

General: Sunflower Family (Asteraceae). White sage is a white-woolly, perennial herb 3-7 dm (1-2 1/4 ft) tall, with a strong odor of sagebrush. The stems are erect and often clustered from creeping rhizomes. The leaves are alternate, entire to irregularly toothed or lobed, 3-11 cm (1.25-4.5 in) long, up to 1.5 cm (9/16 in) wide. Flower heads are small tight greenish clusters among the leaves near the ends of the stems. White sage flowers from August through September. The fruits are dry, smooth, broadly cylindrical achenes. There are four subspecies of Artemisia ludoviciana (Hickman 1993).