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There are a number of
Rabbitbrushes in the Four Corners area; the two most common are Ericameria nauseosus
and Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus. Both have similar
habitats, but Chrysothamnus
viscidiflorus ranges from the high desert into the lower mountains. Ericameria nauseosa, the
most common Rabbitbrush in our area, is confined to the high desert. It often grows seven feet tall and
wide with a wide-spreading open crown. It
is easily distinguished by the white felt covering its twigs. Chrysothamnus
viscidiflorus grows to three or four feet tall with a tighter growth pattern;
it has sticky flowers and its leaves are twisted. Both species seed themselves readily and therefore often
sprout dozens of bushes in one area.
All the Rabbitbrush species shown on this web site are late flowering, usually in August and September when their crowns become a bright golden glow of flowers. This glow gave rise to the Latin name "Chryso" "thamnus", "golden" "bush" which was the name Thomas Nuttall gave this genus in the early 19th century for its "affinity to [the genus] Chrysocoma and brilliant golden yellow flowers." Nuttall also named the Ericameria genus from the Greek "ereike" (heath) and "meris" (part), referring to the heath-like leaves. |
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Ericameria
parryi. Synonym: Chrysothamnus parryi. (Rabbitbrush) Foothills,
montane. Open woodlands, meadows. Summer, fall. Chrysothamnus parryi grows to a bit more than two feet tall and is found at woodland borders and in meadows. Long, narrow leaves sometimes spiral and flowers are large compared to other members of the genus. The phyllaries are long and slightly keeled and flowers are numerous in tight clusters. There are a number of subspecies differing in the number of flowers per head, the hairiness of the leaves and stems, the height of the plant, etc.
Hall and Harbour are given credit with collecting this species on an 1862 trip in Colorado led by the eminent botanist Charles Parry. Asa Gray named the species Linosyris parryi in 1863, it was renamed Chrysothamnus parryi by Edward Greene in 1895, and it has had many other names, the latest and now most widely accepted being that given by Nesom and Baird in 1993: Ericameria parryi. (Click for more biographical information about Parry.) |
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Ericameria
parryi. Synonym: Chrysothamnus parryi. (Rabbitbrush) Foothills,
montane. Open woodlands, meadows. Summer, fall. Phyllaries, the light green structures that surround the side of each flower cluster, are long, narrow, light green, and keeled, i.e., humped or raised like a ship's keel. |
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Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Green Rabbitbrush) Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Meadows, disturbed areas. Fall. Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus blooms in late summer with an abundance of tiny flowers clustered into a golden-yellow glow. The shrub is usually evenly rounded, it is typically eight-to-twenty inches tall (but may be three or four feet tall), the base of the flower cluster is commonly sticky (hence the Latin "viscidiflorus" meaning "sticky flower"), its leaves are very often twisted into a gentle spiral, and the stems are smooth without a whitish, hairy coating. Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus is commonly found in lower foothill and montane meadows, shrublands, and open forests. Some people are allergic to the peppery-sweet scent of the pollen of C. viscidiflorus and its very abundant cousin, Ericameria nauseosa. The first specimens of this plant were collected by David Douglas along the Columbia River in 1826 and the plant was first named Crinitaria viscidiflora by William Hooker in 1834; in 1841 Thomas Nuttall gave the plant its present name."Viscidiflorus" means "sticky flowered". |
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Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Meadows, disturbed areas. Fall. |
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Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus Foothills, montane,
subalpine. Meadows, disturbed areas. Fall. Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus can be abundant and very attractive. The dotted appearance of the leaves in the top photograph at left is due to the way light is reflected from the twisted leaves. |
Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Ericameria parryi
Range map for Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus |