Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Other common names
Rosinbush
rosin bush
broom baccharis
desert broom
Plant type
Shrubs
Riparian
Yes
Plant Description
Origin
Native
Broom-like (much-branched) shrubs. Stems numerous, green and resinous toward their tips, often nearly leafless; twigs longitudinally striate-ridged.
Broom-like shrub with many erect branches. Flower heads unisexual, disc flowers only and solitary on branch tips or arranged in dense elongated clusters. Seeds topped with bristles that surpass the style.
Height
Up to 13 feet
Width
5 feet
Habitat
Habitat description
Gravelly and sandy washes, roadsides, railroads, mesquite flats, chaparral.
Plant Community
Riparian
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
1000
High elevation
5500
Leaves
Leaf color
Bright green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Leaf Drop
Evergreen
Narrow leaves are 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long and 1/8 inch wide, a brighter green than most foliage. Leaves are sticky.
Flowers
Flower color
White to pale yellow
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
No
First bloom month
September
Last bloom month
December
Flower heads male or female, disc flowers only; female flower heads white in terminal clusters or borne singly, 1/4 to 3/8 inch long. Male flowers yellowish in rounded clusters.
Flower clusters
Elongated
Fruit
Fruit color
White
Fruit type
Achene
A small achene tipped with long feathery white bristles, often in great abundance, giving plant a silvery look. Achenes are 10-ribbed.