by Jeanie DeMarco, Native Plants Class 2002
Common names: Golden rabbit brush, rubber rabbit brush, green plume rabbit brush.
Family: Asteraceae
Synonymy: Ericameria nauseosa (Pallas ex Pursh) Nesom and Baird, Chrysothamnus nauseousus (Pallas ex Pursh) (7).
Etymology: The genus Chrysothamnus means “gold thicket” and refers to the yellow inflorescence (3). The epithet nauseosus refers to the strong nauseating smell the plant gives off (3, 4).

Identification
Growth form: Highly branched shrub that grows 3-5 ft. high and contains 2-6% rubber (4).
Roots: Roots are distributed in upper meter of the soil with deep roots penetrating to groundwater as far as 3-5 meters (2, 6, 4).
Stem: Stems are photosynthetic with the lower stems being woody and gray while the upper stems are green (4, 6).
Leaves: Leaves are grayish green, linear and very narrow. They grow about 2 ½ “ long at intervals along stem of soft matted hairs (1).
Inflorescence/flowers: Inflorescences are yellow, feathery, slender and rayless. They are about ¼” wide and ½” long and are in terminal clusters (1). Flowering usually occurs in the fall (5).
Fruit: Seeds are white bristles that are attached and germinate in the spring after snowmelt (1). Seeds are wind dispersed (5).
Similar species: Chrysothamnus parryi (Parry rabbit brush) is less shrubby, has larger leaves and smaller, paler flowers. Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Douglas rabbit brush) and Chrysothamnus depressus (Dwarf rabbit brush) are also similar to C. nauseosus and found west of the rockies (4).

Ecology
Life history: Perennial, winter-deciduous (2).
Native/introduced: Native of the west and midwest (1).
Photosynthetic pathway: C3 (2).
Phenology: Rabbit brush blooms from July to October.
Distribution: Rabbit brush is a common shrub found in xeric habitats and widely distributed west of the 100th meridian in North America. In Arizona it is found between 3,000-9,00ft. (1). It grows in dry plains, dry mountain sides, grasslands, open woodlands and roadsides (1).

Uses
Wildlife: Rabbit brush provides shelter for birds and small mammals and the flowers attract insects (1). The plant is eaten by rabbits and browsed by dear, elk and pronghorn (1).
Ethnobotanical: Native Americans made yellow dye from flowers and green dye from the inner bark (1, 3). The stems were used medicinally and to thatch roofs (4). The whole plant was used by Hopis’ for fuel and wind breaks and in arrow and wicker work (1).

References
1. Epple, A.O. and Epple L.E. 1995. A field guide to plants of Arizona. Falcon Publishing, Helena, Montana.

2. Donavan, L.A., D.J. Grise, J.B. West, R.A. Pappert, N.N. Alder and J.H. Richards. 1999. Predawn disequilibrium between plant and soil water potentials in two cold-desert shrubs. Oecologia 120:209-217.

3. Hogan, P. and K. Huisinga. 1999. An annotated catalog of the native and naturalized flora of Arizona. Arizona Ethnobotanical Research Association, Flagstaff, Arizona.

4. Kelly, G.W. 1970. A Guide to Woody Plants of Colorado. Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder, Colorado.

5. Meyer, S.E., E.D. McArthur and G.L. Jorgensen. 1989. Variation in germination responses to temperature in rubber rabbit brush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus: Asteraceae) and its ecological implications. American Journal of Botany 76:981-991.

6. Toft, C.A. 1995. A 10-year demographic study of rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus): Growth, survival and water limitations. Oecologia 101:1-12.

7. USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service Plants Profile. http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin