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Rubber Rabbitbrush
Ericameria nauseosa
  
21 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Rubber Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) 21 Nurseries Carry This Plant Chrysothamnus nauseosus, also known as rubber rabbitbrush, gray rabbitbrush, or Chamisa, is a shrub of the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family that grows in the arid regions of western North America. Despite its common name, it is not restricted to the Mohave Desert or deserts generally but is widespread in California. Due to its wide geographic distribution, there are nine currently recognized varieties in California, indicating significant variation within the species. It is typically a shrubby, 12 to 90 inch (30-230 centimeter) perennial, producing pungent-smelling, golden-yellow flowers in late summer and early fall. Flower heads are numerous and occur in umbrella-shaped terminal clusters of disc florets only. The shrub reproduces from seeds and root sprouts. Leaves, depending on the subspecies, are long and narrow to spatula-shaped. Both the flexible (rubbery) stems and the leaves are greenish-gray with a soft felt-like covering. When not in flower the plant is not especially attractive. It is valued for the flowers and the pollinators that are attracted by them.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3 - 9 ft tall
3 - 9 ft wide

Form
Form
Mounding

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Unpleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 
Numerous bees and butterflies are attracted to the flowers

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3 confirmed , 23 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Synnoma lynosyrana Image
Rabbitbrush Webbing Moth Synnoma lynosyranaSynnoma lynosyrana
Prolita nefrens Image
Prolita nefrensProlita nefrens
Schinia albafascia Image
Schinia albafasciaSchinia albafascia
*
Chlosyne palla Image
Northern Checkerspot Chlosyne pallaChlosyne palla
*
Chlosyne acastus Image
Sagebrush Checkerspot Chlosyne acastusChlosyne acastus
*
Agrotis ipsilon Image
Ipsilon Dart Agrotis ipsilonAgrotis ipsilon
*
Helicoverpa zea Image
Corn Earworm Moth Helicoverpa zeaHelicoverpa zea

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low, Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Never irrigate once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 21

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers sandy or decomposed granite soil. Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Can be used with a wide variety of plants from around the state including native grasses, Sagebrush (Artemisia sp.), Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata), Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus or greggii), Oaks (Quercus sp.), and many others

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment; 1-3 mos. stratification may hasten germination.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Occurs in a wide variety of settings and habitats, usually somewhat arid, including desert, foothills, inland valleys, woodlands, sagebrush scrub

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.8" - 133.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 4.47", Coldest Month: 10.8" - 55.4", Hottest Month: 34.1" - 84.0", Humidity: 0.48" - 34.69", Elevation: 38" - 14090"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Chrysothamnus nauseosus
Common Names: Chamisa, Common Rabbitbrush, Gray Rabbitbrush


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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