Artemisia rigida

(key to state/province abbreviations)
UNITED STATES ID OR WA

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS [10]:

5 Columbia Plateau

8 Northern Rocky Mountains

Stiff sagebrush occurs in Washington, northeastern Oregon [8,21,37,59], and west-central Idaho [21,37,56,59]. Reports of stiff sagebrush occurring in western Montana are apparently the results of misidentification [8,59].

Artemisia rigida (Nutt.) A. Gray:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

More info for the terms: achene, shrub

The following description of stiff sagebrush provides characteristics that may be relevant to fire ecology, and is not meant for identification. Keys for identification are available (e.g. [17,18,30,32]).

Stiff sagebrush is a native, deciduous shrub. It is low and spreading with a conspicuously woody base. The base is often heaved from the soil by frost action. The trunk is very irregular, spreading above the base in a dense cluster of short, rigid, and rather brittle branches up to 16 inches (40 cm) in length. Flowering stems elongate up to 1 foot (30 cm). Vegetative leaves are 0.4 to 1.6 inches (1-4 cm) long, with a narrow base and 3 conspicuous, narrowly linear lobes forming a trident. The fruit is a ribbed achene 1.5 mm long [8,38,59].

Most of the roots of stiff sagebrush are concentrated in rock fractures, and 80% of the roots of stiff sagebrush occur in the first 2 to 9 inches (5-23 cm) of soil [33].

Shrubs, 20–40 cm (branches widely spreading), mildly aromatic; root-sprouting (caudices stout). Stems gray (coarse, brittle), hairy (bark gray, exfoliating). Leaves deciduous, silver-gray (rigid); blades broadly spatulate, 1.5–4 × 0.5–0.7 cm (bases narrow), 3-lobed (lobes ¹/2+ blade lengths, ca. 1 mm wide), faces densely hairy. Heads borne singly or (in glomerules) in (densely leafy) spiciform or paniculiform arrays 2–20 × 2 cm. Involucres narrowly campanulate, 4–5 × 2.5–3.5 mm. Phyllaries elliptic (acute to obtuse), densely canescent. Florets 4–8; corollas yellowish red to red, 2–2.8 mm (style branches oblong, truncate, exsert). Cypselae (4–5-ribbed) 1–1.5 mm, glabrous. 2n = 18, 36.

Artemisia trifida Nuttall var. rigida Nuttall, Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 398. 1841; Seriphidium rigidum (Nuttall) W. A. Weber

More info for the terms: association, climax, forbs, natural, series

Bryce and Omernik [13] use stiff sagebrush and Sandberg
bluegrass (Poa Secunda) as natural vegetation to define the Channeled
Scablands [12] subregion of the Columbia Plateau in Oregon and Washington.

The most common associate of stiff sagebrush in Oregon is Sandberg bluegrass.
Biscuitroots (Lomatium spp.) are also common. Cheatgrass (Bromus
tectorum) and other annual grasses and forbs become major increasers on
disturbed sites of stiff sagebrush [61]. Also in Oregon, in the Blue Mountains,
Hall [29] describes the most common associates of
stiff sagebrush in a western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis ssp.
occidentalis)/stiff sagebrush/bluegrass (Poa spp.) plant community in good range
condition as Sandberg bluegrass, onespike oatgrass (Danthonia unispicata),
and often bighead clover (Trifolium macrocephalum). He states cheatgrass
and western yarrow (Achillea millefolium) are absent from range sites in
poor condition because of site limitations. Also in the Blue Mountains of Oregon,
Hall [28] lists Sandberg bluegrass, wheatgrass (Triticeae), dwarf squirreltail (Elymus
elymoides ssp. hordeoides), and bighead clover as vegetation
dominants in stiff sagebrush stands.

In Idaho Hironaka and others [31] list a
habitat type of stiff sagebrush/Sandberg bluegrass as occurring on shallow,
basalt-derived soils. Other species associated with this habitat type include
bottlebrush squirreltail (E. elymoides), crested wheatgrass (A.
cristatum), tapertip onion (Allium acuminatum), bulbous woodland-star
(Lithophragma glabrum), Bailey's buckwheat (Eriogonum baileyi),
and low-growing biscuitroots. Cheatgrass and/or medusahead (Taeniatherum
caput-medusae) occur sparsely in all stands, even when fully protected from
all grazing.

Clary and others [16] describe a habitat type of stiff sagebrush/Sandberg
bluegrass in the Pole Creek drainage in Oregon that is restricted to rocky,
basalt sites with shallow soil. Agee [1] describes a scabland
plant series in the Columbia Basin of stiff sagebrush/Sandberg bluegrass.

A plant association of stiff
sagebrush/bluegrass (Poa spp.) in eastern Washington and northern Idaho
is described as an edaphic climax community along the brows of hills on thin,
stony soils [46]. Similarly, Culver [19] describes an edaphic climax plant
association of stiff sagebrush/Sandberg bluegrass in Oregon. In Washington
Daubenmire [21] delineates
a stiff sagebrush/Sandberg bluegrass habitat type where the soil is always thin
and stony with balsaltic bedrock immediately below.

Other classification systems describing plant communities in which stiff sagebrush
is a dominant species are listed below:

Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (Oregon) [33]

Meeks Table Research Natural Area (Washington) [53]

Canyon grasslands and associated shrublands of west-central Idaho and adjacent
areas [55]

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This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the term: cover

SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES [51]:

104 Antelope bitterbrush-bluebunch wheatgrass

105 Antelope bitterbrush-Idaho fescue

106 Bluegrass scabland

107 Western juniper/big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass

109 Ponderosa pine shrubland

110 Ponderosa pine-grassland

302 Bluebunch wheatgrass-Sandberg bluegrass

303 Bluebunch wheatgrass-western wheatgrass

304 Idaho fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass

309 Idaho fescue-western wheatgrass

314 Big sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass

315 Big sagebrush-Idaho fescue

317 Bitterbrush-bluebunch wheatgrass

318 Bitterbrush-Idaho fescue

322 Curlleaf mountain-mahogany-bluebunch wheatgrass

324 Threetip sagebrush-Idaho fescue

401 Basin big sagebrush

402 Mountain big sagebrush

403 Wyoming big sagebrush

404 Threetip sagebrush

406 Low sagebrush

407 Stiff sagebrush

408 Other sagebrush types

412 Juniper-pinyon woodland

415 Curlleaf mountain-mahogany

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

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SAF COVER TYPES [25]:

210 Interior Douglas-fir

220 Rocky Mountain juniper

237 Interior ponderosa pine

238 Western juniper

239 Pinyon-juniper

247 Jeffrey pine

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

KUCHLER [36] PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:

K011 Western ponderosa forest

K012 Douglas-fir forest

K023 Juniper-pinyon woodland

K024 Juniper steppe woodland

K038 Great Basin sagebrush

K050 Fescue-wheatgrass

K051 Wheatgrass-bluegrass

K055 Sagebrush steppe

Stiff sagebrush occurs on harsh, unproductive sites [34]. It is restricted to shallow, stony sites over basaltic bedrock [21,22] with severe moisture saturation during winter and severe frost heaving [28,31]. Where subsoils exist they are strongly developed of clay and permeability is extremely low [31]. In a stiff sagebrush/Sandberg bluegrass habitat type in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Washington and Idaho, average depth of the soil to bedrock is 4 to 9 inches (10-23 cm) [33].

Miller and Eddleman [40] describe annual precipitation at stiff sagebrush sites as 7.9 to 15.7 inches (200-400 mm). Precipitation on a habitat type of stiff sagebrush/Sandberg bluegrass in southern Idaho ranges from 12 to 20 inches (305-508 mm) [31].

Several elevational ranges for stiff sagebrush have been delineated:

Miller and Eddleman [40] describe the elevational range of stiff sagebrush, in general, as 755 to 4,265 feet (230-1,300 m).
Beetle [8] gives the elevational range of stiff sagebrush on rocky scablands as between 3,000 to 5,000 feet (914-1,424 m).
Hall [27] describes the elevational range of stiff sagebrush in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington as 4,000 to 5,600 feet (1,219-1,707 m).
In the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, stiff sagebrush sites occur from 3,300 to 5,500 feet (1,006-1,676 m) with a mean altitude of 4,600 feet (1,400 m) [33].
In Oregon, Winward [61] describes the elevational range of stiff sagebrush as 3,000 to 7,000 feet (914-2,134 m).

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

ECOSYSTEMS [26]:

FRES20 Douglas-fir

FRES21 Ponderosa pine

FRES29 Sagebrush

FRES35 Pinyon-juniper

FRES36 Mountain grasslands

More info for the terms: cover, fuel, natural

Because fuel is rarely sufficient to carry a fire, stiff sagebrush stands can frequently be used as natural fire breaks. Care must be taken in above average production years because stiff sagebrush stands may be able to carry a fire at that time [14].

Since stiff sagebrush is a preferred browse plant for livestock and wildlife, prescribed burning in stiff sagebrush communities cannot be widely recommended [14]. Johnson and Simon [33] state stiff sagebrush has a high value to wildlife and should not be eradicated.

Johnson and Simon [33] conclude the intershrub distances in stiff sagebrush stands coupled with discontinuous grass cover make fire a difficult tool to use.

More info for the term: prescribed fire

Stiff sagebrush is susceptible to fire during mid-summer to late fall and can be controlled by prescribed fire [33]. No information on susceptibility of stiff sagebrush in other seasons is available.

More info for the term: secondary colonizer

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [52]:
Secondary colonizer (on-site or off-site seed sources)

More info for the terms: fuel, series

Fire adaptations: Stiff sagebrush is killed by fire [23].

FIRE REGIMES: There is no specific information in the literature concerning FIRE REGIMES for stiff sagebrush. Researchers agree the vegetation on stiff sagebrush sites is so depauperate, it won't support fire. Agee [1] describes a stiff sagebrush/Sandberg's bluegrass plant series in the Columbia River Basin and concludes it has such low biomass productivity (125-335 kg/ha [33]) that it would not carry fire and probably "rarely" burned. Bunting and others [14] classify stiff sagebrush as a "dwarf" sagebrush and state there is seldom sufficient fuel to carry a fire. Tisdale and Hironaka [56] report the sparse herbaceous understory of stiff sagebrush stands make them virtually immune to fire. Humphrey [47] states stiff sagebrush is small in stature and typically occurs on poorly drained sites with few grasses or other potentially flammable growth. These stands are often restricted in area and do not provide an opportunity for extensive burns.

FIRE REGIMES for plant communities and ecosystems in which stiff sagebrush occurs are summarized below. For further information regarding FIRE REGIMES and fire ecology of communities and ecosystems where stiff sagebrush is found, see the "Fire Ecology Adaptations" section of the FEIS species summary for the plant community or ecosystem dominants listed below.

Community or Ecosystem Dominant Species Fire Return Interval Range (years) sagebrush steppe Artemisia tridentata/Pseudoroegneria spicata 20-70 [43] basin big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata 12-43 [48] mountain big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana 15-40 [5,15,41] Wyoming big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. wyomingensis 10-70 (40**) [58,62] curlleaf mountain-mahogany* Cercocarpus ledifolius 13-1,000 [7,49] western juniper Juniperus occidentalis 20-70 Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum < 35 pinyon-juniper Pinus-Juniperus spp. < 35 [43] Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi 5-30 Pacific ponderosa pine* Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa 1-47 [4] mountain grasslands Pseudoroegneria spicata 3-40 (10**) [3,4] Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir* Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca 25-100 [4,5,6] *fire return interval varies widely; trends in variation are noted in the species summary
**mean

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More info for the terms: association, climax, shrub

Stiff sagebrush is part of the climax vegetation on sites where it occurs. Johnson [34] describes stiff sagebrush as "clearly" the climax vegetation of very harsh, unproductive range sites.

On scabland sites on the Bridge Creek Wildlife Management Area in northeastern Oregon, stiff sagebrush is part of a climax plant community [2]. In eastern Washington and northern Idaho stiff sagebrush is described as part of an edaphic climax community along the brows of hills on thin, stony soils [46]. Culver [19] also describes an edaphic climax vegetation association in Oregon where stiff sagebrush is the only shrub present.

More info for the terms: litter, monoecious

Very little information about regeneration processes of stiff sagebrush is available in the literature. Where information about sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) in general is applicable, it is included.

Breeding system: Pendleton and others [44] describe sagebrush as monoecious.

Pollination: Stiff sagebrush is wind pollinated [37].

Seed production: All sagebrushes produce achenes "in profusion" [8]. No specific information about seed production of stiff sagebrush is available.

Seed dispersal: Sagebrush seed in general has very poor dispersal. It lacks appendages for airborne transport by wind or attachment to animals. Most seed falls beneath the plant and the plant community moves 3 feet (0.9 m) or less per generation [50]. There are no specific references to dispersal of stiff sagebrush seeds in the literature.

Seed banking: No information on seed banking of stiff sagebrush is available. Mueggler [42] found that after fire, big sagebrush (A. tridentata) seedlings arose from seed stored in the soil. Beetle [8] states seed of mountain silver sagebrush (A. cana ssp. viscidula) stored for 4 years under ordinary room temperatures was still viable.

Germination: In a discussion of sagebrush seed in general, Beetle [8] states sagebrush seed can germinate in 48 hours. Seed exposed to light resulted in germination percentages 3 times higher than sagebrush seed germinated in the dark. There is no evidence that sagebrush seed that survives the summer germinates in the fall under field conditions. Under field conditions, fluctuating extremes of temperatures (which are the rule in early spring) may be of less importance than the duration of a high noon temperature.

Seedling establishment/growth: Germinated sagebrush seeds can have fully exposed cotyledons within 4 days [8]. Shade from the canopy of mature sagebrush plants is a strong factor in seedling survival. Seedlings in direct sun have higher mortality.

Survival of sagebrush seedlings is directly related to the litter layer. With less litter there is a better likelihood of sagebrush seedlings establishing.

Asexual regeneration: Stiff sagebrush is not known to rootsprout or to layer [11,38,59].

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

RAUNKIAER [45] LIFE FORM:
Phanerophyte

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

Stiff sagebrush increases with protection from fire, but becomes decadent over
time [1]. Unpublished data (Tisdale 1980), discussed in Tisdale and
Hironaka [56], indicate stiff
sagebrush does not sprout after clipping to a height of 0.8 to 1.2 inches (2-3
cm).

Stiff sagebrush is a nonsprouter that recolonizes burned areas slowly [1].

Fire rarely carries through stiff sagebrush stands, but when it does, stiff sagebrush is "killed outright" [23].

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More info for the term: phenology

Beetle [8] describes the phenology of stiff sagebrush as new growth beginning in June, young seedheads developing late July to August, flowering  in October, and seed ripening in October. Blaisdell and others [11] and McArthur and others [38] state seed ripens in stiff sagebrush in November.

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

More info for the terms: cover, restoration, shrubs

Johnson [34] states establishment of introduced species in stiff sagebrush
stands is very difficult. Because existing flora is generally superior to
any introduced species, the best management strategy is to leave the native
shrubs in place and to control present uses to maintain or improve the site's
ecological condition. Hall [28] feels seeding of grasses is not possible in stiff
sagebrush stands because shallow soils and waterlogging during winter are
"inimical" to domestic grasses. He also states stiff sagebrush should
not be sprayed because it is palatable to livestock and game animals and because
it reduces wind speed over the soil surface.

Hironaka and others [31] discuss a habitat
type of stiff sagebrush/Sandberg bluegrass in southern Idaho and conclude since
this habitat type grows on extremely shallow, rocky soils, a stiff sagebrush control program
would probably not be beneficial. Sandberg bluegrass is not able to take advantage of
additional soil moisture that may result from removal of stiff sagebrush.
Reseeding with introduced species of wheatgrass would not be economical because
of the site's soils. Increase in forage yields by restoration practices may not justify
treatment costs. Programs designed to manage stiff sagebrush sites should be
designed to maintain an open stand of sagebrush with a scattered understory of
native herbaceous species.

Range condition of stiff sagebrush sites in the Blue Mountains can be determined
using a 9.6 ft2 (0.9 m2) plot to measure crown cover.
Plants counted to determine range condition include stiff sagebrush,
Sandberg bluegrass, wheatgrass, and bighead clover as counted
plants is [28]:

Range conditionPercent crown coverNumber of plantsGood4012 or moreFair20 to 396 to 11Poor2 to 191 to 5Very poornone of plants listed

A study by Dahl and Tisdale [20] concludes communities of
stiff sagebrush/Sandberg bluegrass are susceptible to invasion by medusahead.

Belknap and others [9] state stiff
sagebrush stands have a "high" relative biological crust cover.