''Purshia tridentata'', with the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

bitterbrush, is a

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

in the genus ''

Purshia ''Purshia'' (bitterbrush or cliff-rose) is a small genus of 5–8 species of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae which are native to western North America. Description ''Purshia'' species form deciduous or evergreen shrubs, typically reach ...

'' of the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...

. It is native to mountainous areas of western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Common names include antelope bitterbrush, antelope bush, buckbrush, quinine brush, and less commonly deerbrush, blackbrush, and greasewood. Some of these names are shared with other species.

Description

''Purshia tridentata'' is a deciduous shrub growing to a height of . It has many branches and slender green, three- to five-lobed

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

5–20 millimetres long. It is a nitrogen-fixing plant. The flowers are pale yellow, with five petals 6–8 mm long, and darker yellow anthers. The fruit is a cluster of dry, slender, leathery

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

s 0.6–2 centimetres long.

Varieties

There are two named varieties of the species: *''Purshia tridentata var. glandulosa'' — Eastern Sierra Nevada, Southern California *''Purshia tridentata var. tridentata''

Distribution

The plant is found from southeastern British Columbia in the north, east to Montana and Wyoming, south to New Mexico, and west in California. It grows on arid mountainsides and slopes, as well as rocky or drained soils with somewhat more moisture than the sagebrush steppe. It is often associated with '' Balsamorhiza'' as well as ''

Wyethia ''Wyethia'' is a genus of North American flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. First published by Thomas Nuttall in J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia vol.7 on page 39 in 1834. These plants are commonly referred to as mule's ears. They are sho ...

'' species, and in southern areas hybridizes with ''

Purshia stansburyana ''Purshia stansburyana'' is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name Stansbury's cliffrose. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in woodlands, desert, and plateau habit ...

''. In California it occurs between above sea level, including in the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, which ...

, Transverse Ranges, and

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

, and southern

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

.CalFlora Database:''Purshia tridentata''
. accessed 9.22.2013 Further north it occurs at lower elevations, such as at in British Columbia.

Uses

The shrub is an important forage plant for many game animals, including deer, especially during the winter.

References

External links

* {{taxonbar, from=Q3410988 tridentata Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of New Mexico Flora of Wyoming Flora of the Cascade Range Flora of the Great Basin Flora of the Rocky Mountains Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Taxa named by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle Flora without expected TNC conservation status