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Rubber Rabbitbrush
Ericameria nauseosa
  
About Rubber Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) 21 Nurseries Carry This Plant Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) provides year-round visual interest in waterwise and pollinator gardens. This medium-sized shrub is a member of the Sunflower family and thrives in dry regions of the Western US. ?Rubber? refers to the plant's sap and ?nauseosa? is a nod to its pungent scent. The plant is also sometimes called chamisa.

Rubber rabbitbrush blooms from summer into fall. The tubular flowers are golden-yellow in color. They are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other late season pollinators. Even when not in bloom, the blue-green, needlelike leaves and pale stems add color to the landscape.

Rubber rabbitbrush is a low moisture plant that likes full sun and sandy, well-draining soil. It's a low maintenance shrub that can be used in soil stabilization and restoration applications. It normally grows to about 5 ft in height although some plants can reach 9 ft tall. Winter pruning shapes rubber rabbitbrush and encourages next year's blooms.
Calscape, Miller, G.O. (2008). Landscaping with Native Plants of Southern California. Voyageur Press, US Forest Service. Rubber Rabbitbrush. “Rubber Rabbitbrush.” Www.fs.usda.gov, www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/ericameria_nauseosa.shtml. ‌
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

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low, Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Never irrigate once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

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


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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