Physiognomy and Structure: Vegetation included in this alliance has a sparse to moderately dense cover of microphyllous evergreen shrubs less than 1.5 m tall. The sparse to moderately dense graminoid layer is dominated by tall, medium-tall or short bunch grasses. Forb cover is generally sparse. Scattered broad-leaved deciduous tall shrubs may be present.

Floristics: This alliance includes Artemisia filifolia-dominated shrublands that occur on sandy sites in the central and southern Great Plainsthe Chihuahuan Desert, and the Colorado Plateau. The vegetation is characterized by a sparse to moderately dense woody layer approximately 1 m tall that is dominated by the microphyllous evergreen shrub Artemisia filifolia. These shrubs usually do not grow as clumps but as individuals with the interstices most often dominated by a sparse to moderately dense layer of tall, mid or short grasses (Bruner 1931, Ramaley 1939a, 1939b, Steinauer 1989, Dick-Peddie 1993). Associated shrub and dwarf-shrub composition varies with geography, precipitation, disturbance, and soils. In the Great Plains, some stands have Prunus angustifolia or Quercus havardii as a codominants in the shrub layer. This species often grows taller than Artemisia filifolia and may form thickets (McGregor and Barkley 1986). In northern stands, Artemisia frigida is more common, and Chihuahuan Desert stands may include Dalea lanata, Psorothamnus scoparius, Tiquilia hispidissima, or Yucca elata. On the Colorado Plateau, Ericameria nauseosa, Ephedra torreyana, Ephedra viridis, Gutierrezia sarothrae, or Atriplex canescens may codominate. Coleogyne ramosissima is typically absent. Species of Opuntia and Yucca are common in many stands throughout its range.
The sparse to moderately dense herbaceous layer is typically dominated by graminoids. The most abundant and widespread species are Achnatherum hymenoides (= Oryzopsis hymenoides), Andropogon hallii, Bouteloua gracilis, Bouteloua curtipendula, Calamovilfa longifolia, Schizachyrium scoparium, or Sporobolus cryptandrus. Carex inops ssp. heliophila, Carex duriuscula (= Carex eleocharis), and Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata) are more common in northern stands, and Bouteloua breviseta, Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua trifida, Sporobolus flexuosus, Sporobolus giganteus, and Sporobolus nealleyi are restricted to southern stands. Muhlenbergia pungens, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Bouteloua eriopoda, and Achnatherum hymenoides are important graminoids on the Colorado Plateau. Forbs are typically not abundant in these communities. Associated species include Calylophus serrulatus, Heterotheca villosa var. villosa, Helianthus petiolaris, Ipomoea leptophylla, Lathyrus polymorphus, Lepidium montanum, Lygodesmia juncea, Mentzelia spp., Penstemon buckleyi, and Psoralidium lanceolatum. Communities associated with gypsum dunes have many gypsophiles or gypsum endemics.

Dynamics:  These shrublands occur as any one of several stages in a successional sequence. Drought or overgrazing stands of this alliance will reduce vegetation cover and can allow the wind to cause blowouts or active dunes (Ramaley 1939b). Ramaley (1939b) describes the succession in Colorado from loose sand to a sandhills - mixed community dominated by Muhlenbergia pungens. It then may proceed to an Artemisia filifolia (sand sage) community or skip this stage and succeed to the sand prairie, late seral community dominated by Hesperostipa comata, Calamovilfa longifolia, and Andropogon hallii. This can happen relatively quickly with adequate precipitation and rest from grazing. Ramaley (1939b) also reported that unless protected from overgrazing and fires, the sand sage community will not succeed into the sand prairie community. However, in regions with marginal precipitation, such as occurs over much of eastern Colorado, the sand sage community may be the last successional stage (Ramaley 1939b).

A 10-year grazing study on sand sage pastures in Colorado by Sims et al. (1976) and Dahl and Norris (1965) found that Bouteloua gracilis abundance increased with increased cattle grazing, whereas Calamovilfa longifolia and Hesperostipa comata decreased. With heavy grazing, Artemisia filifolia density increased because of seedling recruitment. This may be due to decreased competition with grasses. In the lightly grazed treatments, Hesperostipa comata abundance more than doubled and the Artemisia filifolia density decreased slightly. Weaver and Albertson (1956) reported Artemisia filifolia and Sporobolus cryptandrus both increasing with grazing in sandhills of Oklahoma.

In Colorado, fire frequency and extent are thought to be low in these stands because sand sage areas are usually surrounded by other communities that are too moist or too sparse to carry a fire well (Ramaley 1939b). In the Great Plains, Wright and Bailey (1980) reported that after fire Artemisia filifolia will resprout and will also reproduce vigorously as seedlings. The shrubs Prunus angustifolia and Rhus spp. also vigorously resprouted after fire (Jackson 1965). Generally, however, fire reduces the vegetation cover that protects these shrublands from blowouts.

Timing and amount of growing-season precipitation can greatly affect species abundance from year to year. Normal to wet springs with a dry summer often result in biomass being dominated by cool-season species such as Hesperostipa comata. A year with a dry spring and normal to wet summer results in biomass being dominated by warm-season species such as Andropogon hallii and Calamovilfa longifolia. Similarly, timing of grazing can have the same result. Forb abundance and diversity can be very high during summers with significantly higher than average precipitation. Panicum virgatum, Sorghastrum nutans, and Prunus pumila var. besseyi are present in low abundance in good condition stands in Colorado but are often eliminated by heavy grazing (Soil Conservation Service 1978).