Louisiana Wormwood

Louisiana Wormwood, White Sage, Prairie Sage

Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt.

Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

▲ ▼ young shoots emerging from creeping roots in spring

▲ ▼ young shoots emerging from creeping roots in spring, showing how some plants are more green than gray/white

▲ ▼ young shoots

▲ ▼ flowering shoots

Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt., Louisiana Wormwood, Prairie Sage, White Sage: (Bayer Code: ARTLU; US Code ARLU)

Creeping perennial native plant with whitish-hairy leaves of varying shapes--smooth margins, lobed margins, toothed margins
Leaves have strong, sage-like odor
Produces creeping roots that can create large colonies over time
Inflorescences is leafy stalk with tiny, ragweed-like flowers (can cause allergies)
Found in dry sites, native prairies and glades, no-till crops
Can be toxic to livestock if grazed heavily--normally not a problem
Characteristics to allow distinguishing from similar native species:
- Sand sagebrush (A. filifolia) has 3-lobed leaves with linear lobes and linear leaves in upper portions of the plant
- Big sagebrush (A. tridentata )has slightly wider leaves with three short teeth at their leaftips
- Silver sagebrush (A. cana) has slightly wider, unlobed leaves throughout plant and is more common further north or at higher elevations
- Fringed sagebrush (A. frigida) does not produce persistent woody stems as do the other sagebrush mentioned, and its leaves are smaller (less than 1 inch diameter) and very much divided

Native sagebrush/wormwood (Artemisia) species can provide valuable foot and habitat for many wildlife species, and so should not always be considered a weed in the sense that they should be controlled or eradicated.

Proper range management often allows for native species to continue as well as provide adequate grazing for domestic animals.

(Posted January 24, 2019)

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