White sage

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5 - Secure
SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Wetland Indicator Status

Great Plains

UPL - Obligate upland

Midwest

UPL - Obligate upland

Northcentral & Northeast

UPL - Obligate upland

Description

White sage is a 1′ to 3′ tall, erect, perennial forb that rises on multiple stems from a slender, horizontal rhizome. It often forms colonies. The leaves and stem are highly fragrant with a sage-like aroma.

The stems are unbranched below the inflorescence. They are covered with white, short, soft, matted, woolly hairs, at least near the top.

The leaves are alternate, gray, inversely lance-shaped with the attachment at the narrow end. They are 1⅛″ to 4⅓″ long and up to ½″ wide at the base, getting progressively smaller as they ascend the stem. They are untoothed and unlobed or may have a few lobes or large, coarse teeth toward the tips. The margins are flat, not rolled under. The upper and lower surfaces are densely covered with white, short, soft, matted, woolly hairs, the lower surface more so than the upper.

The inflorescence is an erect, dense, 2″ to 12″ long, spike-like cluster at the top of some of the stems.

The flowers are yellow or yellow-green, small, round, and inconspicuous. They are composed of 6 to 12 very short ray florets and 5 to 12 disk florets. There is no floral scent.

The fruit is a tiny achene.

Height

1′ to 3′

Flower Color

Yellow or yellow-green

Similar Species

Subspecies ludoviciana is the most widespread, common, and the most varied in appearance. It is the only subspecies that occurs in Minnesota.

The gray color of the stems and leaves and the relatively broad, lance-shaped leaf distinguish this plant from other Artemisia species that occur in the state.

Habitat

Dry. Prairies, disturbed sites.

Ecology

Flowering

July to October

Pests and Diseases

Use

Distribution

Sources

2, 3, 5, 7, 24, 28, 30, 83.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 3/4/2026).

Midwest Herbaria Portal. 2026. https://midwestherbaria.org/portal/index.php. Accessed 3/4/2026.

Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana Nutt. in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org. Accessed 3/4/2026.