''Ericameria nauseosa'' (formerly ''Chrysothamnus nauseosus''), commonly known as Chamisa, rubber rabbitbrush, and gray rabbitbrush, is a shrub in the sunflower family (Aster) found in the arid regions 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 ...

. Two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

have been described, ''consimilis'' (the green form with 8 varieties) and ''nauseosa'' (the gray form with 14

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

).Completion of ''Ericameria'' (Asteraceae: Astereae): diminution of ''Chrysothamnus'' 1993 Phytologia 75: 74–93, G. L. Nesom, G.I. Baird.

Description

''Ericameria nauseosa'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

shrub growing to .Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd Ed. p 198 The

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 ...

, depending on the subspecies, are long and narrow to spatula-shaped. Both the flexible (rubbery) stems and the leaves are greenish-gray with a soft felt-like covering.Flora of North America, Rabbitbrush, ''Ericameria nauseosa'' (Pallas ex Pursh) G. L. Nesom & G. I. Baird
/ref> It blooms from August to OctoberWildflowerSearch.com: Ericameria nauseosa
and produces pungent-smelling, golden-yellow flowers. The

flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

are long and made up of 5 small, yellow, tubular

disk flower The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

s, and occur in umbrella-shaped terminal clusters. The shrub reproduces from seeds and root sprouts.

Taxonomy

Rubber rabbitbrush was moved from the genus ''

Chrysothamnus ''Chrysothamnus'', known as rabbitbrush, rabbitbush, and chamisa, are a genus of shrubs in the family Asteraceae. The native distribution is in the arid western United States, Canada, and northern Mexico. It is known for its bright white or yell ...

'' to the genus ''Ericameria'' in a 1993 paper. The findings of a 2003

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

investigation of ''Ericameria'' were consistent with the move of the species to ''Ericameria''. The second edition of the Jepson plant manual and the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

Germplasm Resources Information Network Germplasm Resources Information Network or GRIN is an online USDA National Genetic Resources Program software project to comprehensively manage the computer database for the holdings of all plant germplasm collected by the National Plant Germplasm ...

have adopted the name ''Ericameria nauseosa''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

means 'heavy scented'.

Subspecies and varieties

Recognized infraspecific taxa from

The Plant List The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden and launched in 2010. It was intended to be a comprehensive record of all known names of plant species ...

The Plant List, ''Ericameria nauseosa'' (Pall. ex Pursh) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird
/ref> with

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

information from ''

Flora of North America The ''Flora of North America North of Mexico'' (usually referred to as ''FNA'') is a multivolume work describing the native plants and naturalized plants of North America, including the United States, Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and Greenla ...

'' and

Tropicos Tropicos is an online botanical database containing taxonomic information on plants, mainly from the Neotropical realm (Central, and South America). It is maintained by the Missouri Botanical Garden and was established over 25 years ago. The data ...

* ''Ericameria nauseosa'' subsp. ''consimilis'' (Greene) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird (green form) ** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''arenaria'' (L.C.Anderson) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – sandstone in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''arta'' (A.Nelson) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird –

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''ceruminosa'' (Durand & Hilg.) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – gravelly arroyos in

Mohave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''juncea'' (Greene) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird –

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''leiosperma'' (A.Gray) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – sandy + rocky sites in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''mohavensis'' (Greene) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – scrublands in

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''nitida'' (L.C.Anderson) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – dry streambeds in

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''turbinata'' (M.E.Jones) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – sand dunes in

* ''Ericameria nauseosa'' subsp. ''nauseosa'' (gray form) ** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''ammophila'' L.C.Anderson –

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''bernardina'' (H.M.Hall) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – open pine forests in

;

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''bigelovii'' (A.Gray) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – dry slopes in

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''graveolens'' (Nutt.) Reveal & Schuyler – plains in Sask.;

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Dakotas The Dakotas is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, econom ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''hololeuca'' (A.Gray) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – slopes in

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''iridis'' (L.C.Anderson) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – steep, barren slopes in Sevier County in

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''latisquamea'' (A.Gray) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird - dry streambeds in

;

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''nana'' (Cronquist) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – ridges and cliffs in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''nauseosa'' – plains + hills in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

;

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''oreophila'' (A.Nelson) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird –

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''psilocarpa'' (S.F.Blake) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – sagebrush scrub in eastern

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''salicifolia'' (Rydb.) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – brushlands in

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''speciosa'' (Nutt.) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – brush + open woodlands in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''texensis'' (L.C.Anderson) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – Guadalupe Mountains in

** ''Ericameria nauseosa'' var. ''washoensis'' (L.C.Anderson) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird – open rocky sites in grasslands of northeastern

and northwestern

Distribution and habitat

It grows in the arid regions of western

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(from the western

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

to the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

) and northern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Ecology

Along with associated species, like big sage and western wheat grass, rubber rabbitbrush is a significant source of food for browsing wildlife (including game animals and rabbits) on winter ranges. Dense stands of this species often grow on poorly managed rangelands, in disturbed areas along roadways and on abandoned agricultural property.Utah State University Extension
. The species often occurs with ''

Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus ''Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus'' is a species of shrub in the family Asteraceae of the Americas known by the common names yellow rabbitbrush and green rabbitbrush. Description ''Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus'' grows up to about in height, with s ...

''.

Cultivation

Rabbitbrush, ''Ericameria nauseosa'', has gained popularity as an ornamental

xeriscaping Xeriscaping is the process of Garden design, landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water and has gained accep ...

shrub in areas where water conservation is important. It thrives in a wide range of coarse, alkaline soils that are common to desert environments. Pruning the shrub back to several inches in early spring, before new growth begins, may help improve the shrub's ornamental value.Wendy Mee et al. ''Waterwise, Native Plants for Intermountain Landscapes''
Utah State University Press, 2003
.

Radioactivity

Specimens growing in Bayo Canyon, near Los Alamos,

, exhibit a concentration of radioactive

strontium-90 Strontium-90 () is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission, with a half-life of 28.8 years. It undergoes β− decay into yttrium-90, with a decay energy of 0.546 MeV. Strontium-90 has applications in medicine and i ...

300,000 times higher than a normal plant. Their roots reach into a closed nuclear waste treatment area, mistaking strontium for

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to ...

due to its similar chemical properties. According to Joseph Masco, the radioactive shrubs are "indistinguishable from other shrubs without a

Geiger counter A Geiger counter (also known as a Geiger–Müller counter) is an electronic instrument used for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation. It is widely used in applications such as radiation dosimetry, radiological protection, experimental ph ...

."Masco, Joseph. ''The Nuclear Borderlands: The Manhattan Project in Post-Cold War New Mexico''
Princeton University Press, 2006

Uses

The

Zuni people The Zuni ( zun, A:shiwi; formerly spelled ''Zuñi'') are Native American Pueblo peoples native to the Zuni River valley. The Zuni are a Federally recognized tribe and most live in the Pueblo of Zuni on the Zuni River, a tributary of the Lit ...

use the blossoms ''bigelovii'' variety of the ''nauseosa'' subspecies to make a yellow dye. They use the stems to make baskets. The

Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

also made a yellow dye from some of the flower heads.

Possible commercial uses

Rubber rabbitbrush was considered as a source of rubber as early as 1904. Several studies have been conducted on the possible use of rubber rabbitbrush as a source of rubber including ones during World Wars I and II, and in 1987. Between 2005 and 2008, the

University of Nevada The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant ...

researched possible material applications of rubber rabbitbrush. One possible commercial use of the species would be as a source for

hypoallergenic Hypoallergenic, meaning "below average" or "slightly" allergenic, is a term meaning that something (usually cosmetics, pets, textiles, food, etc.) causes fewer allergic reactions. The term was first used in 1953 in an advertising campaign for cosm ...

rubber for use in products designed for people with latex allergies.

Gallery

File:NativeRabbitBush.JPG, Rabbitbrush native to the area near the post office in

Crestone, Colorado Description The Town of Crestone is a Statutory Town in Saguache County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 141 at the 2020 United States Census. Crestone is a small village at the foot of the western slope of the Sangre de Cri ...

File:RabbitBushBlooms.JPG, Blooms of the decorative rabbitbrush used at the Crestone post office. File:rubber rabbitbrush 01.jpg, Rubber rabbitbrush in Utah File:Ericameria nauseosa.jpg, At

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located adjacent to Denver and Commerce City, Colorado, in the United States. It is approximately northeast of downtown Denver. The refuge is on the grounds of t ...

References

External links

* *
United States Department of Agribulture Profile: ''Ericameria nauseosa''

Jepson Manual – ''Ericameria nauseosa''

''Ericameria nauseosa'' Calflora Photo Gallery, University of California

* https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/ericameria_nauseosa.shtml {{Authority control nauseo Fiber plants Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of Western Canada Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Plant dyes Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status