''Baccharis salicifolia'' is a blooming shrub native to the sage scrub community and desert southwest of the

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and northern

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, as well as parts of

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. Its usual common name is mule fat;Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd ed., 2013, it is also called seepwillow or water-wally. This is a large bush with sticky foliage which bears plentiful small, fuzzy, pink or red-tinged white

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s which are highly attractive to butterflies. The long pointed leaves may be toothed and contain three lengthwise veins. It is most common near water sources.

Uses

* The Kayenta Navajo people use this plant in a compound infusion of plants used as a lotion for chills from immersion.Wyman, Leland C. and Stuart K. Harris 1951 The Ethnobotany of the Kayenta Navaho. Albuquerque. The University of New Mexico Press (p. 45) Another use is fire starting. Dried ''Baccharis salicifolia'' has a very low ignition temperature, very similar to the dried yucca stalk. It can be used for spindles and hand-drill shafts.

References

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