Sagebrush, the

Popular term for semiarid areas of the US West characterized by the prevalence of the sagebrush plant (a species of Artemisia) amid sparse vegetation, especially in the Great Basin. Nevada is known as the ‘Sagebrush State’.

For centuries, the sagebrush plant was put to a variety of uses by local peoples, and provided fuel and cattle forage to settlers from the 19th century onwards. It grows in fertile soil, but its roots are difficult to clear for farming. It has given its name to two historical events that took place in the area where it grows. In the 1860s, the ‘Sagebrush War’ was a bloodless border dispute between Nevada and California. The ‘Sagebrush Rebellion’ of the early 1980s was an inconclusive attempt by politicians in Nevada, Utah, and neighbouring states to win control over millions of acres of public lands.