sagebrush

[seyj-bruhsh] /ˈseɪdʒˌbrʌʃ/

noun

any of several sagelike, bushy composite plants of the genus Artemisia, especially A. tridentata, having silvery, wedge-shaped leaves, with three teeth at the tip, common on the dry plains of the western U.S.

Origin

1825-35, Americanism; sage² + brush²

Examples from the web for sagebrush

Also, burning low elevation stands will probably speed up the process of aspen being replaced by sagebrush.
On our side, the ground is still virtually bare except for sagebrush.
People who think they know from hearsay picture a bone-dry landscape puckered with sagebrush and tumbleweed.
Expansive aspen stands and piñon- and juniper-dotted ridges give way to sandy sagebrush deserts.
Responsible for its downturn: conversion of sagebrush habitat to agriculture.
The foothills of these mountains are covered in sagebrush and junipers and are inhabited by rattlesnakes at lower elevations.
In summer, wildflowers cover the meadows, and the valley floor is blanketed with sagebrush.
Riders can participate in a guided cattle drive to gather and drive a herd across the sagebrush plains and aspen-covered hills.
Visitors to the area will see sweeping panoramic views of sagebrush and pinyon trees.
Gilding the lily is the fact that it's really an anti-western, exploding a lot of the mythology that sagebrush fans hold dear.

British Dictionary definitions for sagebrush

sagebrush

/ˈseɪdʒˌbrʌʃ/

noun

any of several aromatic plants of the genus Artemisia, esp A. tridentata, a shrub of W North America, having silver-green leaves and large clusters of small white flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

Word Origin and History for sagebrush

1850, from sage (n.1), to which it has no biological affinity, + brush (n.2). Said to be so called for resemblance of its appearance or odor.

Sage-brush is very fair fuel, but as a vegetable it is a distinguished failure. Nothing can abide the taste of it but the jackass and his illegitimate child, the mule. ["Mark Twain," "Roughing It"]