Sort of AT: Coastal/California Sagebrush (Artemesia californica)

[Guest guest]

Hi guys,

I'm taking a college-level 66-hr trail guide training for Mission Trails

Regional Park in San Diego (www.mtrp.org) where we need to memorize 30+ plants &

30+ birds. Factoids are extremely valuable to keep visiting hikers engaged in

the park and what we're talking about.

We have 40+ trainees, and each of us have been assigned a plant to do a

5-minute report on. My plant is the beautifully scented and wildly abundant

Artemisia californica.

I'm on my way downstairs now to dig through my AT/Herbal reference books packed

away in boxes... in the meantime, I would love any input any of you have on the

scent description, herbal use, historical value and Native American use of this

plant.

Although all the manuals and pamphlets I have say that it smells of sage, that

is definitely off to me... I get nothing but a pleasantly sweet Bay Laurel out

of it.

Thanks for any help!

 

Stay dry (especially if you're in San Diego!),

Stacey

 

P.S. Maggots in a what train?! Seriously, Butch, that was the most clever thing

I've seen all week! XOXO

[Guest guest]

Hi Stacey,

 

People are always fascinated with history and indigenous use, probably more

than biologic specifics and morphology, although I suspect a part of what

you want are clear identification procedures and any safety considerations.

 

 

The genus Artimisia could engage one in a focused lifelong study, there are

between 200 and 400 species with a great deal of cross polination, resulting

in new species constantly created, especially across the western landscape.

A. californica is commonly called California sagebrush and while not a sage

is part of the " sage scrub " in the landscape, along with Chaparral - these

are some of the highly flamable and explosive plants that are so dangerous

in California wildfires. I believe the prototypical landscape would include

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) in the area you are referencing. You've

perhaps already noted that animals do not eat California sage (because of

bitter terpenes) and use it primarily as a place to find shelter. You may

also have noticed that no competing plant seedlings thrive around it,

because of the powerful toxic exudates that repel them.

 

Looking for odor experiences, you're going to get a lot of differing

opinions - I wouldn't compare it to Blue Sage A. ludoviciana, or Davana A.

pallans, certainly not Tarragon A. drancuculus and each Artemisia species

will have its own unique odor characteristic. To my experience, (speaking of

Artemisia tridentata, which is somewhat similar) the odor characteristic is

bitter-sweet, very pungent/camphoraceous with certain similarities to

rosemary or sage oils, although these are not nearly as strong. Dryout is

sweeter than one would expect and surprisingly mild compared with product

before drydown. When speaking of the plant's odor, it may smell mildly like

bay laurel if testing a small amount crushed between fingers in an open

environment. Once I brought a cargo full of A. tridenta from the WA desert

back over the mountains in my Passport, becoming quite giddy and intoxicated

along the way. So, odor perception is no doubt affected by the diffusive

paramaters and amount of plant material in your respective head-space. We

distilled it inside with all the windows open, but had I the outdoor setup I

have now, it certainly have been better. Krishna Madappa on his road travels

from New Mexico to WA picked a lovely Artemisia that none of us could

clearly identify and it was incredibly sweet with a predominant floral odor.

I'm not sure if Jeanne Rose is on this list, but she's another person I'd

seek for odor description and information on Artemisias.

 

The Luiseno (Payomkowisum " People of the west " ) group of Shoshonean native

Americans in northern San Diego county chewed or smoked leaves in

combination with tobacco to relieve colds. There are records of its (along

with A. douglasiana) use by native tribes for rheumatism, prevention of

menstrual cramps and to ease childbirth, among others, although records are

sketchy as to preparation and dosage.

 

Be Well,

Marcia Elston, Samara Botane/Nature Intelligence

http://www.wingedseed.com

http://www.wingedseed.blogspot.com

http://www.aromaconnection.org

" We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. " - Winston

Churchill

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________

 

ATFE [ATFE ] On Behalf Of

staceymst3k

Monday, January 18, 2010 8:14 PM

ATFE

Sort of AT: Coastal/California Sagebrush (Artemesia

californica)

 

 

 

 

Hi guys,

I'm taking a college-level 66-hr trail guide training for Mission Trails

Regional Park in San Diego (www.mtrp.org) where we need to memorize 30+

plants & 30+ birds. Factoids are extremely valuable to keep visiting hikers

engaged in the park and what we're talking about.

We have 40+ trainees, and each of us have been assigned a plant to do a

5-minute report on. My plant is the beautifully scented and wildly abundant

Artemisia californica.

I'm on my way downstairs now to dig through my AT/Herbal reference books

packed away in boxes... in the meantime, I would love any input any of you

have on the scent description, herbal use, historical value and Native

American use of this plant.

Although all the manuals and pamphlets I have say that it smells of sage,

that is definitely off to me... I get nothing but a pleasantly sweet Bay

Laurel out of it.

Thanks for any help!

 

Stay dry (especially if you're in San Diego!),

Stacey

 

P.S. Maggots in a what train?! Seriously, Butch, that was the most clever

thing I've seen all week! XOXO

[Guest guest]

Didn't run my spell checker before hitting send . . . It's Artemisia, not as

misspelled in second paragraph.

M

 

________________________________

 

ATFE [ATFE ] On Behalf Of Marcia

Elston

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 3:54 PM

ATFE

RE: Sort of AT: Coastal/California Sagebrush (Artemesia

californica)

 

 

 

 

Hi Stacey,

 

People are always fascinated with history and indigenous use, probably more

than biologic specifics and morphology, although I suspect a part of what

you want are clear identification procedures and any safety considerations.

 

The genus Artimisia could engage one in a focused lifelong study, there are

between 200 and 400 species with a great deal of cross polination, resulting

in new species constantly created, especially across the western landscape.

A. californica is commonly called California sagebrush and while not a sage

is part of the " sage scrub " in the landscape, along with Chaparral - these

are some of the highly flamable and explosive plants that are so dangerous

in California wildfires. I believe the prototypical landscape would include

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) in the area you are referencing. You've

perhaps already noted that animals do not eat California sage (because of

bitter terpenes) and use it primarily as a place to find shelter. You may

also have noticed that no competing plant seedlings thrive around it,

because of the powerful toxic exudates that repel them.

 

Looking for odor experiences, you're going to get a lot of differing

opinions - I wouldn't compare it to Blue Sage A. ludoviciana, or Davana A.

pallans, certainly not Tarragon A. drancuculus and each Artemisia species

will have its own unique odor characteristic. To my experience, (speaking of

Artemisia tridentata, which is somewhat similar) the odor characteristic is

bitter-sweet, very pungent/camphoraceous with certain similarities to

rosemary or sage oils, although these are not nearly as strong. Dryout is

sweeter than one would expect and surprisingly mild compared with product

before drydown. When speaking of the plant's odor, it may smell mildly like

bay laurel if testing a small amount crushed between fingers in an open

environment. Once I brought a cargo full of A. tridenta from the WA desert

back over the mountains in my Passport, becoming quite giddy and intoxicated

along the way. So, odor perception is no doubt affected by the diffusive

paramaters and amount of plant material in your respective head-space. We

distilled it inside with all the windows open, but had I the outdoor setup I

have now, it certainly have been better. Krishna Madappa on his road travels

from New Mexico to WA picked a lovely Artemisia that none of us could

clearly identify and it was incredibly sweet with a predominant floral odor.

I'm not sure if Jeanne Rose is on this list, but she's another person I'd

seek for odor description and information on Artemisias.

 

The Luiseno (Payomkowisum " People of the west " ) group of Shoshonean native

Americans in northern San Diego county chewed or smoked leaves in

combination with tobacco to relieve colds. There are records of its (along

with A. douglasiana) use by native tribes for rheumatism, prevention of

menstrual cramps and to ease childbirth, among others, although records are

sketchy as to preparation and dosage.

 

Be Well,

Marcia Elston, Samara Botane/Nature Intelligence

http://www.wingedseed.com <http://www.wingedseed.com>

http://www.wingedseed.blogspot.com <http://www.wingedseed.blogspot.com>

http://www.aromaconnection.org <http://www.aromaconnection.org>

" We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. " - Winston

Churchill

 

________________________________

 

ATFE <ATFE%40>

[ATFE <ATFE%40> ] On Behalf Of

staceymst3k

Monday, January 18, 2010 8:14 PM

ATFE <ATFE%40>

Sort of AT: Coastal/California Sagebrush (Artemesia

californica)

 

Hi guys,

I'm taking a college-level 66-hr trail guide training for Mission Trails

Regional Park in San Diego (www.mtrp.org) where we need to memorize 30+

plants & 30+ birds. Factoids are extremely valuable to keep visiting hikers

engaged in the park and what we're talking about.

We have 40+ trainees, and each of us have been assigned a plant to do a

5-minute report on. My plant is the beautifully scented and wildly abundant

Artemisia californica.

I'm on my way downstairs now to dig through my AT/Herbal reference books

packed away in boxes... in the meantime, I would love any input any of you

have on the scent description, herbal use, historical value and Native

American use of this plant.

Although all the manuals and pamphlets I have say that it smells of sage,

that is definitely off to me... I get nothing but a pleasantly sweet Bay

Laurel out of it.

Thanks for any help!

 

Stay dry (especially if you're in San Diego!),

Stacey