''Gutierrezia sarothrae'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
Asteraceae
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 ...
known by the common names broom snakeweed, broomweed, snakeweed, and matchweed. It is a
subshrub
A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...
native to much of the western half of
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 ...
, from
western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canadaâ ...
to northern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: MĂ©xico), 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 ...
, and can be found in a number of arid,
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...
, and mountain habitats. It can be toxic to livestock in large quantities, due mainly to the presence of
saponin
Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...
s.
The species was utilized by various
Native American groups for medicinal and other purposes.
Description
''Gutierrezia sarothrae'' 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 ...
subshrub that ranges from in height. The stems are green to brown, bushy, and herbaceous, and branch upwards from a woody base.
The stems die back during dormancy, giving the plant its broom-like appearance.
[ They range from smooth to having some short hairs, and may be ]resin
In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...
ous and therefore sticky when touched. As the stems are about the same length, this causes the plant to often appear domed or fan-shaped when flowering. 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 ...
are alternate and linear, and long and wide. The lower leaves are usually shed before the plant flowers. During its first year of growth, the plant produces a long, woody taproot
A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...
, and numerous lateral root
Lateral roots, emerging from the pericycle (meristematic tissue), extend horizontally from the primary root (radicle) and over time makeup the iconic branching pattern of root systems. They contribute to anchoring the plant securely into the soil, ...
s as the plant matures.
Dense clusters of 3â7 small, yellow ray and 2â6 tiny disk flowers form in clusters, in length, at the end of the stems from mid-July to September. The flowers are pollinated by various insects, resulting in an oval fruit covered with chaff
Chaff (; ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material (such as scaly parts of flowers or finely chopped straw). Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it. In agri ...
y scales.[ The plant reproduces from seeds, which are light, densely hairy, and wind-dispersed.] A single plant is capable of producing over 9,000 seeds annually, although most ripe seeds fall beneath the parent plant. Seeds can remain viable in the soil for several years; under laboratory conditions seeds have remained viable for at least two years.
''G. sarothrae'' is commonly confused with rabbitbrush
Rabbitbrush is a common name for shrubs, principally of the western United States, in three related genera of the family Asteraceae:
* '' Chrysothamnus'' — about seven species in the United States, including Greene's rabbitbrush
* ''Ericame ...
, but can be distinguished by the presence of ray flowers, which rabbitbrush plants do not have. It is also similar to littlehead snakeweed ('' G. microcephala''), which has only 1â3 of both ray and disk flowers.
Etymology
The common name matchweed refers to the appearance of the stems and flower heads to matches, whereas broomweed refers to its use as a broom and snakeweed refers to its medicinal use to treat snakebites. It has also been called 'turpentine
Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a special ...
weed' due to its odour.
Distribution and habitat
A native North American plant, ''G. sarothrae'' is found throughout west-central Canada (the Prairie Provinces
The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...
, the western and central 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 ...
(the 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 ...
and regions to the west), and northern Mexico
Northern Mexico ( es, el Norte de MĂ©xico ), commonly referred as , is an informal term for the northern cultural and geographical area in Mexico. Depending on the source, it contains some or all of the states of Baja California, Baja California ...
as far south as Zacatecas
, image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg
, map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico
, coordinates =
, coor_pinpoint =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type ...
and Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...
. Due to its efficient water use and drought tolerance
Drought tolerance is the ability to which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tolerance, detox ...
, it is able to survive in arid and semi-arid sites, such as rocky plains, dry foothills, ridgetops, mountain slopes, and in semi-desert valleys. The species is very adaptable, and can be found in a variety of ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
s, including pinyonâjuniper woodland
Pinyonâjuniper woodland, also spelled piñonâjuniper woodland, is a vegetation type (biome) of Western United States higher elevation deserts, characterized by being an open forest dominated by low, bushy, evergreen junipers (''Juniperus oste ...
s, desert shrubland
Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xÄrĂłs, âdry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...
s, and sagebrush-grasslands. It can survive in a wide variety of soil types with full sun and good drainage,[ but growth is reportedly best in clay loams of ]alluvial
Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
slopes, and shallow, rocky, or sandy soil, and is poor in saline or alkaline soils
Alkali, or Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico- ...
.
Ecology
''G. sarothrae'' is a poor quality browse for most large ungulate
Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Ungulata which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. These include odd-toed ungulates such as horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs; and even-toed ungulates such as cattle, pigs, giraffes, cam ...
s. It is important to pronghorn antelope
The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American ante ...
in some areas, especially during spring and summer, and can comprise up to 28% of the pronghorn antelope's diet. The plant is of little value to cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
and horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
s, but can be a fair quality winter browse for domestic sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
when there is little access to green forage.
Under natural conditions, ''G. sarothrae'' quickly invades disturbed areas, and can minimize soil erosion; for example, it is reportedly able to stabilize loose windblown soils in mesquite
Mesquite is a common name for several plants in the genus ''Prosopis'', which contains over 40 species of small leguminous trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas.
They have extremely long roots to seek water from very far under grou ...
sand dunes. It has been rated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with oth ...
as low to medium for erosion control potential, low for short-term revegetation
Revegetation is the process of replanting and rebuilding the soil of disturbed land. This may be a natural process produced by plant colonization and succession, manmade rewilding projects, accelerated process designed to repair damage to a land ...
potential, and low to medium for long-term revegetation potential.
Management
''G. sarothrae'' is one of the most widespread and damaging rangeland
Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas ...
weeds, and can displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. This displacement may be caused by livestock grazing, drought, or fire suppression
Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated a ...
. The plant quickly invades overgrazed
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature rese ...
rangeland, as cattle often leave it untouched while overgrazing
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...
grasses. Because of this, an abundance of ''G. sarothrae'' is considered to be an indicator of rangeland deterioration. It is a fire-intolerant species, and is severely harmed or killed by fire; immediately after a fire it may be completely removed from an area. However, seeds can remain viable if in the soil, often causing ''G. sarothrae'' densities to increase after a fire. This may make it necessary to burn at five to ten year intervals in order to reduce its populations.
Herbicide effectiveness is variable; when herbicide application is effective, populations are controlled for up to five years. Mechanical control is generally ineffective; hoeing the plants just below the soil can be effective, but may be impractical in stony soil. Biological control has also been studied, with a combination of an Argentinean root-boring weevil, ''Heilipodus ventralis'', and an Argentinean moth root-borer, '' Carmenta haematica'', found to be an effective method of control.
Toxicity
''G. sarothrae'' can be toxic to domestic sheep, goats
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of Caprinae, goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a membe ...
, and cattle when consumed in large quantities, although domestic goats are moderately resistant to its effects. Its toxicity is due primarily to saponin
Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...
s, which can cause illness, death, or abortion, as well as to alkaloid
Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...
s, terpene
Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n > 1. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predominantly by plants, particularly conifers. Terpenes ar ...
s, and flavonols
Flavonols are a class of flavonoids that have the 3-hydroxyflavone backbone (IUPAC name : 3-hydroxy-2-phenylchromen-4-one). Their diversity stems from the different positions of the phenols, phenolic hydroxyl, -OH groups. They are distinct from f ...
in the plant. The species is also a facultative absorber of selenium
Selenium is a chemical element with the symbol Se and atomic number 34. It is a nonmetal (more rarely considered a metalloid) with properties that are intermediate between the elements above and below in the periodic table, sulfur and tellurium, ...
, which can cause illness or death in large amounts. As little as of fresh ''G. sarothrae'' consumed by cattle in seven days can cause miscarriages, and in cattle, sheep, and goats consuming ten to 20% of their body weight in two weeks can cause death. Toxicity is generally higher during periods of rapid growth, such as early leaf development, and when grown on sandy rather than on calcareous
Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
In zoology
''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...
or clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
soils.
Uses
''G. sarothrae'' was used by the Native Americans of the 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 ...
for various reasons. The Comanche
The Comanche or NÊmÊnÊÊ ( com, NÊmÊnÊÊ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...
bound the stems together to make brooms. The Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (áčáá§á§áŁáŻ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
used the roots in an herbal steam as a treatment for respiratory ailments. A decoction
Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal-medicine systems. De ...
of the plant was used by the Lakota
Lakota may refer to:
*Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes
*Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples
Place names
In the United States:
*Lakota, Iowa
*Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County
*Lakota ...
to treat colds, coughs, and dizziness, while a concentrate made from the flowers was used by the Dakota
Dakota may refer to:
* Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux
** Dakota language, their language
Dakota may also refer to:
Places United States
* Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Dakota, Illinois, a town
* Dakota, Minnesota, a ...
as a laxative for horses. 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 ...
rubbed the ashes of the plant on their bodies to treat headaches and dizziness, and also applied the chewed plant to wounds, snakebites, and areas swollen by insect bites and stings. The Zuni used an infusion
Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...
of the blossoms as a diuretic
A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...
and to "make one strong in the limbs and muscles", and an infusion of the whole plant was used topically for muscle aches.
References
External links
Calflora Database: ''Gutierrezia sarothrae'' (Broom snakeweed, Matchweed)
Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Gutierrezia sarothrae''
UC Photos gallery of ''Gutierrezia sarothrae''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15553359
sarothrae
Flora of Canada
Flora of the Northwestern United States
Flora of the Southwestern United States
Flora of the South-Central United States
Flora of Northwestern Mexico
Flora of Northeastern Mexico
North American desert flora
Flora of California
Flora of the Great Plains (North America)
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
Flora without expected TNC conservation status