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Taxon  Report  
Artemisia spinescens  D. C. Eaton
Bud sage,   Budsage
Artemisia spinescens is a shrub that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Artemisia
Family: Asteraceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Toxicity: Possible skin irritation from touching the leaf of this plant.
Do not eat the leaf of this plant.

Communities: Shadscale Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + JEF + POWO
Alternate Names:
JEFPicrothamnus desertorum
PLANTSPicrothamnus desertorum
Information about  Artemisia spinescens from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (PIDE4)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Forage: This plant is considered good forage for wild and domestic grazing animals early in the season when the foliage is new and soft.[6] Later in the season when the plant produces large quantities of bitter volatile oils it becomes unpalatable. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/24/2025).