2011-07-21_REVISION - C1981014 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The plant can be cut back after fall flowering to prevent seed dispersal and to retain its compact, rounded shape (Utah Native Plant Society 2009). University of Washington http: // biology. burke.washington.edu /herbarium/ imagecollection.php Status Consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values). Description General: Composite family (Asteraceae). Rubber rabbitbrush is a native, perennial, warm -season shrub that grows to 1 to 8 feet tall. It has a rounded crown and stems originating from its base. Stems are yellowish green, flexible, erect and spreading, and are covered with a dense felt -like layer of white hairs. Leaves are 0.75 to 2.75 inches long, 0.02 to 0.12 inches wide, alternate, linear to spatula shaped with entire margins, 1 to 3 nerved, and are also covered with white hairs. Flowers are yellow, tubular, 0.25 to 0.4 inch long, arranged in terminal, rounded clusters. The flower bracts are narrow, layered and papery. Flowers begin bloom in late July in cool montane environments, in October in hot desert environments, and at variable times in cold desert environments (Meyer et al. 1989). Inflorescences and seed bracts often persist through winter. Seeds are achenes with pappus and are wind disseminated. Reproduction is primarily by seeds and epicormic buds. Out - crossing is infrequent (Anderson 1966). The species is taxonomically complex, and was previously divided into 22 subspecies. The 22 subspecies have been reorganized into two subspecies and 22 varieties (ecotypes) (USDA -NRCS 2009). The 22 ecotypes exhibit a great deal of variability in morphological characteristics and chemical composition. Distribution: Ericameria naseosa is present in New York and all western states in the United States, and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. Subspecies cosimilis has 8 varieties found primarily in the southwestern United States. Subspecies nauseosa has 14 varieties found throughout the western United States and Canada Different varieties are often found growing in adjacent habitats of the same locality (Meyer et al. 1989). For current distributions, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Habitat: Rubber rabbitbrush inhabits dry, open areas on plains, valley bottoms, foothills and mountains. It is associated with many ecological sites, including: oak - hickory, elm -ash- cottonwood, ponderosa pine, sagebrush, desert shrub, chaparral- mountain shrub, pinyon juniper, and mountain, plains and desert grasslands (Tirmenstein 1999). It is considered to be an early- to mid -seral species, and may dominate some sites following a disturbance. Over time it usually declines and becomes a minor component of the native plant community (Tirmenstein 1999). Adaptation Rubber rabbitbrush is adapted to cold, dry environments receiving 7 to 18 inches of annual precipitation at elevations ranging from 450 to 8,000 feet (Tirmenstein 1999). Depending on the ecotype, rubber rabbitbrush can be found on loamy, sandy, gravelly or heavy clay soils that are slightly acidic, slight to strongly basic, or saline. Some ecotypes have a great deal of plasticity, allowing them to establish in a variety of habitats (McArthur 1979). Establishment Rubber rabbitbrush can be established by transplanting seedlings, or drilling or broadcasting seed. Planting can be done in spring or fall, on prepared or unprepared seedbeds (Tirmenstein 1999). Rubber rabbitbrush should be seeded in a mixture with forbs and grasses at a rate of 0.025 pound Pure Live Seed (PLS) per acre (Ogle et al. 2009). This rate should be doubled if the seed is broadcast. Romo and Eddleman (1994) determined rubber rabbitbrush had the highest seedling establishment when seeded prior to or during periods when seedbed temperature was between 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and when soil moisture was near its seasonal high. Cox and Anderson (2004) had better success establishing rubber rabbitbrush and other vegetation when seeded into stands of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertner) as opposed to seeding in stands dominated by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.). Management Rubber rabbitbrush is often associated with non - native invasive plants which establish at the same time following a disturbance (Enloe et al. 2009). However, the presence of rubber rabbitbrush may actually reduce the severity of weed invasion (Krueger - Mangold et al. 2006). Where land managers intend to control invasive weeds while minimizing damage to rubber rabbitbrush, application of chlosulfuron may be an effective strategy (Enloe et al. 2009).