Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Hook.) Nutt. (redirected from: Chrysothamnus pumilus var. latus)
Family: Asteraceae
[Chrysothamnus glaucus ,  more...]
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image

Shrubs, 10-120 cm; with woody, branched caudices, bark whitish tan, becoming gray, flaky and fibrous with age. Stems ascending, green, soon becoming tan, glabrous or puberulent, sometimes resin-dotted, often resinous. Leaves ascending, spreading, or deflexed; sessile; blades with evident midnerves plus sometimes 1-2 pairs of smaller, collateral nerves, linear to lanceolate, 10-75 × 0.5-10 mm, flat or sulcate, often twisted, margins often undulate, sometimes ciliate, apices acute to apiculate, faces glabrous or puberulent. Heads in dense, rounded cymiform arrays (to 7 cm wide), not overtopped by distal leaves. Involucres cylindric to obconic or campanulate, 4-7 × 1.5-2.5 mm. Phyllaries 12-24 in 3-5 series, in spirals or weak vertical ranks, mostly tan, green to brown subapical patch often present, midnerves usually evident (at least distally), linear-oblong, lanceolate to elliptic or obovate to spatulate, 1-5 × 0.5-1.2 mm, unequal, chartaceous, margins scarious, eciliate or ciliolate to erose-ciliolate, flat or convex, sometimes weakly keeled, apices acute to obtuse or rounded, sometimes apiculate, flat, faces glabrous or puberulent. Disc florets (3-)4-5(-14); corollas 3.5-6.5 mm, lobes 0.7-1.7 mm; style branches 2.2-3.2 mm (exserted beyond spreading corolla lobes), appendages 0.8-1.5 mm (length shorter than stigmatic portion). Cypselae tan to reddish brown, turbinate, 2.5-4.2 mm, ± 5-angled, moderately to densely hairy; pappi tan, 3.5-6 mm.

FNA 2006, Heil et al 2013, McDougall 1973, Kearny and Peebles 1979

Common Name: yellow rabbitbrush

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Shrub

General: Shrubs, 10-120 cm tall, from woody, branched caudices; bark whitish tan, becoming gray, flaky and fibrous with age; stems ascending, green, soon becoming tan, often resinous.

Leaves: Opposite and sessile; blades linear to lanceolate, 1-8 cm long by 0.5 cm wide, flat and often twisted, with evident midnerves plus sometimes 1-2 pairs of smaller, collateral nerves; margins often undulate, sometimes ciliate; apices acute to apiculate; faces glabrous or puberulent, sometimes with punctate glands.

Flowers: Flower heads discoid, arranged in dense, rounded panicles, elevated above the leaves; involucre (ring of bracts wrapped around the flower head) cylindric to campanulate, 4-7 mm high by 2 mm wide, the bracts (phyllaries) in 3-5 series, in spirals or weak vertical ranks, mostly tan, often with a green to brown subapical patch, margins scarious and often ciliate, faces glabrous or puberulent; florets 4-5 per head, all discs, the corollas yellow, 4-6 mm long, style branches exserted beyond spreading corolla lobes.

Fruits: Achenes tan to reddish brown, turbinate, 2-4 mm long, moderately to densely hairy, topped with a pappus of tan bristles, 3-6 mm long.

Ecology: Found in dry, often sandy soils in high deserts and juniper woodlands, or on alpine/subalpine slopes (vars viscidiflorus and puberulus), above 4,000 ft (1219 m); flowers late summer-fall.

Distribution: w N. Amer. from British Columbia, MT, and SD south to CA, AZ and NM.

Notes: This widespread rabbitbrush is distinguished by its bunches of straight, ascending to erect stems, usually less than 0.5 m tall (var. viscidiflorus up to 1.2 m tall); sticky yellow flowers arranged in flat-topped or gently rounded clusters at the top of the plant; and flat, upward-pointing leaves which are often twisted into a gentle spiral. There are 5 currently accepted subspecies (according to FNA), all of which are found in the Southwest.

Ethnobotany: Applied topically to treat boils, toothaches, and rheumatism; infusions taken for colds, coughs, flu, and as an emetic; plant used as a culinary herb; roots used as a chewing gum; flowers used to make a yellow-orange dye for wool, leather, cotton, and baskets; used as a sand break to protect young corn and melons, and used as thatch to prevent the sand on top of the sweathouse from sifting through; stems used to brush spines off prickly pear fruits.

Etymology: Chrysothamnus from the Greek chryseos, golden, and thamnos, bush; viscidiflorus translates to sticky-flowered

Synonyms: Crinitaria viscidiflora

Editor: AHazelton 2015

Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus image
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