A Rare Mugwort from the Pacific Northwest by Howie Brounstein
Authors note: This article was updated and published in the 1996
issue of the Kalmiopsis, the Journal of the Native Plant Society
of Oregon. As of 2008, the current state of genetic research has
made chromosome counting for evolutionary relationships
outdated; however, I have left it on the website because of
historical interest. Feel free to write me if you have questions
or more data concerning this plant. From the rim of the
Deschutes canyon the Three Sisters and other snow-capped peaks
loom on the western horizon. The scent of desert shrubs fills my
lungs. Looking across the rim I see circling ravens. Hundreds of
feet below me, along the Deschutes river, is the silvery white
hue of the plant I am seeking. Slowly I work my way down, around
large boulders covered with crustose lichens and past bones of
an unfortunate deer who stepped too close to the edge during the
winter. I finally reach the bottom of the canyon. The cries of
coyotes echo in th