Kingdom Plantae Family Asteraceae Rank Species | Order Asterales Genus Ericameria | |
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Similar Ericameria cuneata, Ericameria fasciculata, Ericameria, Ericameria discoidea | ||
Ericameria paniculata (formerly Chrysothamnus paniculatus) is a southwestern United States desert perennial shrub in the (sunflower family.
Contents
Ericameria paniculata is known by the common names black-banded rabbitbrush, desert rabbitbrush, Mojave rabbitbrush, catclaw rabbitbrush, sticky rabbitbrush, and punctate rabbitbrush. The stems often have black, gummy bands.
Range and habitat
Ericameria paniculata is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States (Arizona, Nevada, southern California, southwestern Utah. It is particular common in the Mojave Desert.
Ericameria paniculata is found in a great variety of habitats, including disturbed areas such as roadsides. It tolerates poor soils. It may be found alongside creosote, Joshua tree, baccharis, white burrobush, desert saltbush, and catclaw acacia.
Growth pattern
Ericameria paniculata is a branching shrub reaching up to 2 meters (80 inches) tall. The spreading or erect stems are glandular and resinous and are often banded or splotched with black from a fungus.
Stems and leaves
The glandular leaves are filiform (thread-shaped or narrowly oblanceolate) up to 3.5 centimeters (1.4 inches) in length.
Flowers and fruit
The inflorescence is an array of small, yellow flower heads, each of which contains 5 to 8 disc florets but no ray florets. The fruit is up to a centimeter (0.4 inches) long including its long pappus. They are wind-dispersed.
It flowers from June to December.