Rabbitbrush

[ CHRYSOTHAMNUS NAUSEOSUS ]

This time of year the pickings are pretty slim for bees and other pollinators in search of flowers. But in the dry lowlands of California a shrub called rabbitbrush blooms on, carpeting vast areas with dense clusters of glowing gold flowers. These pioneer plants produce copious numbers of finely haired seeds that quickly invade newly disturbed sites, especially where cattle or fires have eliminated competing species. Although rabbitbrush has human detractors due to its strongly allergenic pollen, this plant plays an important ecological role by providing dense cover for jackrabbits, abundant seeds for rodents and birds and browse for antelope and deer.

NATURAL HISTORY

This species is commonly referred to as rubber rabbitbrush, because it produces latex from which a high-quality rubber called chrysil is extracted. However, the amounts are too minuscule to be commercially viable.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

A gray-green shrub covered with a fine mat of white wool. Leaves are several inches long.