Artemisia (biennis)

Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	ASTERACEAE
Family Common Name:	Sunflower Family
Scientific Name:	Artemisia biennis Willd.
Common Name:	Biennial or Mountain sage
Species Code:	ARTBIE
Ecotype:	Talus slope, Two Medicine, Glacier National Park, MT.
General Distribution:	A. biennis is a biennial which occupies very sandy soils from low to high elevations, throughout the Pacific Northwest, but is widely introduced elsewhere in the United States as a weed, where it is found in waste places.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml conetainers
Time To Grow:	4 Months
Target Specifications:	Height: 6 to 10 true leaves, 5 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in conetainer
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are hand collected in mid September when achenes turn grey and are easily removed from the disk. Seeds are collected in paper bags and kept in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are hand cleaned using screens. Seed longevity is estimated at 5 to 7 years at 3 to 5 C in sealed containers. Seed dormancy is classified as non dormant. Seeds/Kg: 5,500,000 /kg % Purity:100% % Germination: 50%
Pre-Planting Treatments:	5 month outdoor cold, moist stratification.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Outdoor nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are surface sown into containers. Growing media used is 70% milled spaghnum peat,perlite, and vermiculite and 30% sand with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocite and 0.20 gram of Micromax per 172 ml conetainer. Conetainers are filled and sown in late fall and irrigated thoroughly prior to winter stratification.
Establishment Phase:	Medium is kept slightly moist during germination. Initial germination appeared uniform and occurred following 2 weeks of temperatures at 22C or above during the day. 2 to 4 true leaves were evident 3 weeks after germination and seedlings were thinned at this stage.
Length of Establishment Phase:	4 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Root and shoot development occurs rapidly following germination. Plants were occasionally fertilized with 20-20-20 NPK liquid fertilizer at 100 ppm during the growing season. Plants were fully root tight 12 weeks after germination. Plants were 5 cm in height with 10 to 12 true leaves.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	8 weeks
Hardening Phase:	Irrigation is gradually reduced in September and October. Plants are flushed with clear water and fertilized with 10-20-20 NPKliquid fertilizer at 200 ppm once before winterization.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total time to Harvest:4 months. Harvest Date:September Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	Seeds require light for germination. If direct seeding onto restoration sites, seeds must be rolled or pressed into prepared seed beds. Raking or burying seeds will result in poor establishment.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, 7th edition, University of Washington Press, 1973. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, Hassell, Wendel, U.S.D.I. and U.S.D.A., April 1996. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination,Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, Deno, Norman, Penn State University, 1993. Glacier National Park Native Plant Nursery Propagation Records, unpublished.

Citation:

Luna, Tara. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Artemisia biennis Willd. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/03). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.