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San Diego Sagewort
Artemisia palmeri
  
11 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About San Diego Sagewort (Artemisia palmeri) 11 Nurseries Carry This Plant Artemisia palmeri is a rare species of sagebrush known by the common names San Diego sagewort and Palmer sagewort. It is native to northern Baja California and San Diego County, California, where its natural habitat is sandy coastal ravines and river drainages. Most of this habitat has been destroyed as the land has been claimed for human use. It is occasionally found farther inland in chaparral plant communities in the region. This is a perennial or biennial herb producing brittle erect or spreading stems 1 to 3 meters tall. The base is woody. The aromatic foliage is made up of long, narrow leaves deeply cut into several narrow, pointed lobes. The flower cluster contains clusters of flower heads containing pale yellow hairy disc florets. The fruit is a tiny achene about a millimeter long. It is rumored David Bowie ate this type of sagewort while writing his album Low. This plant does best in part shade, but can handle full sun or full shade as well. It is not the most attractive looking plant for garden purposes and is best used in a wild or semi-wild area for its habitat value.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3.3 - 9.8 ft tall
6 ft wide

Form
Form
Fountain, Weeping

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Semi-Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Cream, White, Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 
Numerous birds are attracted to the seeds, including quail, thrashers, towhees and finches

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 22 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Vanessa cardui Image
Painted Lady Vanessa carduiVanessa cardui
*
Vanessa virginiensis Image
American Lady Vanessa virginiensisVanessa virginiensis
*
Papilio machaon Image
Old World Swallowtail Papilio machaonPapilio machaon
*
Lycaena rubidus Image
Ruddy Copper Lycaena rubidusLycaena rubidus
*
Arachnis picta Image
Painted Tiger Moth Arachnis pictaArachnis picta
*
Estigmene acrea Image
Salt Marsh Moth or Acrea Moth Estigmene acreaEstigmene acrea
*
Synchlora aerata Image
Wavy-Lined Emerald Synchlora aerataSynchlora aerata

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 11

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Typically sandstone or sandy soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Common uses
Common uses
Bird Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Although this plant is often found in areas with slightly more moisture, it is typically surrounded by chaparral and coastal sage scrub plants of more arid character such as Chamise (Adenostema fasciculatum), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis), Ceanothus species, Bush Poppy (Dendromecon rigida), California Encelia (Encelia californica), Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Scrub Oaks (Quercus species), Sage (Salvia species), and Mission Manzanita (Xylococcus bicolor)

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Moist drainages, sandy soil of coastal bluffs and canyons, generally within the fog belt of San Diego County

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 9.9" - 19.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.19" - 0.89", Coldest Month: 45.1" - 56.2", Hottest Month: 69.2" - 79.0", Humidity: 1.04" - 24.28", Elevation: 7" - 2815"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Palmer Sagewort


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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