The plant is widely distributed in several varieties from southern Ontario and New England to British Columbia southward to Arkansas, California, and northern Mexico at elevations up to 10,000 ft. This aromatic plant may be over 3 feet tall, but North Dakota specimens usually are much shorter. Stems and leaves are usually white from the presence of fine hairs. Hundreds of tiny yellowish flower heads form on the upper branches.
Fruits are tiny achenes with no bristles.
Look for white sage after mid-July on native prairie. Where soil is cool and moist, white sage is more abundant where grazing is intense, but where soil is warm and dry, more plants will be found where grazing is light or moderate. White sage is used by Amerindians as a medicine for colds, sore throat, and intestinal worms. The generic name Artemisia is an ancient name for a European sage, the name dedicated in memory of the wife of King Mausolus of Caria. He visited the Mandan villages in what now is North Dakota in 1810-1811.