SafePlants

Rubber Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa)

Also known as Gray Rabbitbrush, Grey Rabbitbrush, Golden Rabbitbrush, Rubber Rabbitbrush, Chamisa

Considerations for Pets

• The plant produces sap, as evidenced by its historical use in rubber production.

Considerations for Children

• Flower buds have a history of use as a food source by Native Americans.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Ericameria nauseosa
• Family: Asteraceae (implied by mentioning disk flowers)
• Division: Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) - Anthophyta
• Synonyms: Chrysothamnus nauseosus (previously classified under this genus), Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus variety viscidiflorus (Sticky Rabbitbrush, potentially a related species)

Distribution and Habitat

• Widespread in western North America.
• Found in areas like central Washington, southern Idaho deserts, and Arches National Park.
• Thrives in hot, dry, and sunny conditions.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Deciduous shrub, typically growing to a height of 2 to 6 feet.
• Globe-shaped, reaching a width of 2 to 6 feet.
• Leaves:
  • Alternate arrangement.
  • Linear to spatula-shaped.
  • 2-7 cm long and 0.5-3 mm wide or 3-6 cm long and about 1 mm wide depending on subspecies.
  • Slender, silvery, gray-velvety, sometimes sticky, and sometimes spiraled.
  • May have a woolly or silky texture, 10 to 70 millimeters long.
• Flowers:
  • Yellow to yellowish-green, tubular, 0.25 to 0.4 inch long.
  • Disk flowers are 4 to 6 with corollas 5-10 mm long.
  • Flower heads are discoid and narrow, 0.3-0.5 in (0.8- 1.3 cm) high, slender.
  • Bracts are strongly 4-ranked with rounded to obtuse tips, glabrous, and sticky.
  • Disk corollas range from 4.5-7 mm long.
  • Form in clusters, appearing feathery.
  • Bloom in late summer to fall.
• Roots: Possesses a long taproot.
• Twigs: Flexible and covered with felt-like persistent tomentum.

Ecological Role

• Provides wildlife habitat; leaves, flowers, and seeds are a food source.
• Browsed by large game and livestock.
• A nectar source for pollinators, including butterflies, bees, and long-horned beetles.

Quirky Facts

• True to its name, rubber rabbitbrush can be used to make rubber, but the process is not cost-effective.
• It is long-lived but does not flower until its 4th to 7th year.

Traditional Uses

• Native Americans have historically gathered the flower buds for food.
• Rubber rabbitbrush flowers can be used to make yellow dye.
• Stems and leaves have been studied for potential rubber production.