Tag Archives: plants

Fire-wise Native Plant: Green Rabbitbrush

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Plant Name: Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus

Common names: Green Rabbitbrush, Yellow Rabbitbush

Plant type: Evergreen to Deciduous Shrub

Height: 1’ – 4’

Spread: 3’

Bloom Time: August – October

Flower Color: Yellow

Exposure: Sun

Soil Requirements: Dry, Well-Drained, Medium to Coarse Textured Soil

Water Needs: Low

 

Attributes: Adapted to Drought; Larval Host and Nectar Source to Sagebrush Checkerspot; Attracts Native Bees & Butterflies; Provides Cover & Nesting Habitat for Birds & Rodents

 

Note: susceptible to infestations of the larvae of hairy yellow-marked buprestid (Acamaeodera pulchella) which bore tunnels through the stems resulting in plant death

 

Uses: Rapidly establishes in disturbed open sites, including burned sites, rockslides, flood washes.  A valuable shrub for re-vegetating damaged land, such as overgrazed rangeland and abandoned mining areas.

 

Firewise: YES

Native To: British Columbia to Southeastern CA East to North Dakota to Texas

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5b – 8b

 

 

Report by: Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas, AGC Members

Sagebrush Checkerspot  photo by: Scott Paige, Pacific Southwest Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fire-wise Native Plant: Grey Rabbitbush

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Plant Name: Ericameria nauseosa, synonym: Chrysothamnus nauseosa
Common names: Grey Rabbitbrush, Rubber Rabbitbush, Chamisa
Plant type: Broadleaf Deciduous Shrub
Height: 3’-9’
Spread: 3’-9
Bloom Time: July to October
Flower Color: Golden Yellow

Exposure: Sun
Soil Requirements: Sandy, fast, well-Draining
Water Needs: Drought Resistant with Deep Tap Root; Little or NO Supplemental Water

Attributes: Woolly Leaves; Attractive to Bees, Butterflies; Other Late Season Pollinators; Supports Bats, Caterpillars; No Serious Disease or Insect Problems

Note: Pungent Smelling Flowers; Cut Twigs Exude Milky Latex; no maintenance except annual shearing; prune in the Winter. Plant has a nauseous disagreeable ordor when the leaves or flowers are crushed, described as pineapple-like by some and foul and rubbery smell by others.
Uses: Desert Landscape; Water-wise plant; Pollinator Gardens; Hedge; Xeriscaping; Erosion Control

Fire-wise Plant: YES
Native To: Southern BC, Great Plains, Mexico, West to Pacific Ocean, Central North America

Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashland & Carlotta Lucas, AGC Members
Photos from Oregon State University: https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/ericameria-nauseosa

Firewise and Native Plant: Golden Chinquapin

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Plant Name: Chrysolepis chrysophylla

Common name: Golden Chinquapin
Plant type: Broadleaf, Evergreen Shrub or Tree
Height: 30’ – 148’;  slow growing
Bloom Time: February – July
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Sun to Light Shade
Soil Requirements: Well-Drained; Clay-Loam, Loam, Sandy Loam, Sand, Bedrock
Water Needs: Low
Attributes: Leaves are dark yellow-green above, the lower side is coated with shiny golden to pale yellow
scales; The Species is Monoecious, with Individuals Bearing both Male and Female Flowers; Supports
Butterflies & Caterpillars; Birds & Rodents Disburse the Seeds; Small Mammals eat Nutritious Nuts; Hosts
Golden Streak Butterfly
Note: Fruit is a Spiny Bur in the Fall; Slow Growing; Transplants with Difficulty; Flowers have Strong Odor.
Uses: Specimen Tree; A Chinquapin is best grown as a specimen tree in drier parts of your garden.
Firewise: YES
Native To: California & Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photographer: Zoya Akulova ID: 0000 0000 0716 1182 (2016-07-11) Copyright  @CalPhotos