Artemisia papposa is a species of flowering plant in the aster family

Asteraceae

The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...

 known by the common names Owyhee sage, Owyhee sagebrush, and fuzzy sagebrush. It is native to the Snake River Plain

Snake River Plain

The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily within the state of Idaho in the United States of America. It stretches about westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho...

 and surrounding areas in the northwestern United States, occurring in Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, and Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

.

This small aromatic shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

 grows up to 15 or 20 centimeters tall with several grayish stems. The small gray-green leaves are usually lobed. The inflorescence

Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...

 is an array of several flower heads

Head (botany)

The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....

 containing yellow ray and disc florets. The fruit is an achene

Achene

An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...

. Unlike those of most other Artemisia, the achenes of this species are topped with pappi

Pappus (flower structure)

The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...

.

This plant grows on sagebrush steppe

Sagebrush steppe

The sagebrush steppe is a type of shrub-steppe, which is a dry-xeric environment and plant community found in the Western United States and western Canada...

, and in meadows, alkali flats

Playa

Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...

, and sagebrush-juniper associations. It grows alongside plants such as thymeleaf and mat buckwheats

Eriogonum caespitosum

Eriogonum caespitosum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name matted buckwheat, or mat buckwheat. This is a common perennial plant native to the western United States from California to Montana, especially the Great Basin...

 (Eriogonum thymoides and E. caespitosum, respectively), lava aster

Ionactis alpina

Ionactis alpina is a species of aster known by the common name lava aster. It is native to western North America from California to Montana, where it grows in dry areas.-Description:...

 (Ionactis alpina), whip pussytoes

Antennaria flagellaris

Antennaria flagellaris is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names whip pussytoes and stoloniferous pussytoes...

 (Antennaria flagellaris), onespike danthonia

Danthonia unispicata

Danthonia unispicata is a species of grass known by the common name onespike oatgrass, or onespike danthonia.It is sometimes treated as a variety of Danthonia californica, to which it is similar...

 (Danthonia unispicata), western needlegrass

Achnatherum occidentale

Achnatherum occidentale is a species of grass known by the common name western needlegrass. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in many types of habitat. This is a tufting perennial bunchgrass forming tight clumps of erect stems up...

 (Achnatherum occidentale ssp. occidentale), barestem biscuitroot

Lomatium nudicaule

Lomatium nudicaule is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names barestem biscuitroot, Indian celery and Indian consumption plant. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Utah, where it is known from several habitat types,...

 (Lomatium nudicaule), and Sandberg bluegrass

Poa secunda

Poa secunda is a widespread species of grass native to North America. It is highly resistant to drought conditions, and provides excellent fodder.-External links:**...

(Poa secunda). It occurs in mid-elevation habitat, often in shallow, rocky, poorly drained soils.