Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Arid Llano Estacado, Llano Estacado, Rolling Sand Plains, Shinnery Sands
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys, Semiarid Canadian Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods
Plant Characteristics
Growth Form
Shrub
Height
1.5
to
3
ft.
Spread
0.5
to
1
ft.
Leaf Retention
Semi Evergreen
Lifespan
Perennial
Habitat and Care Requirements
Soil Type(s)
Calcareous, Dry
Light Requirement
Sun
Water Requirement
Very Low, Low
Native Habitat
Grassland
Bloom and Attraction
Bloom Color
Red, Yellow
Bloom Season
Summer, Fall
Seasonal Interest
Seeds, Forage, Nesting Material
Wildlife Benefit
Browsers, Birds, Small Mammals, Bees
Maintenance
Requires little maintenance. Drought and heat tolerant. Good for tough growing conditions. In moist areas, it tends to get leggy. Can be pruned in winter to encourage thick growth. Colonizes by rhizomes. Propagation: seed, root division.
Comments
Blooms June-November. Grows in a stiff, upright form with aromatic, silvery green leaves, matted with hairs. Produces small, yellowish flowers. The fruit is a cypsela: a dry, one-seeded fruit, usually topped by pappus. Provides nesting material for native bees. Its foliage and flowers provide food for sage grouse. Twigs and flowers are eaten by antelope.
References
1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ARLU. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Artemisia+ludoviciana&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=2220&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 97. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=35474#null, 7) chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_arlu.pdf
