What is brittlebush?
Brittlebush is a type of shrub. (1)
Where is brittlebush located?
southwestern USA – Sonoran desert (4), Mojave desert (4) – Arizona
It can also be found growing in the coastal chaparral and interior valleys of southern California (4)
and Mexico (1)
What does a brittlebush look like?
(picture here) (3)
How tall can a brittlebush grow to?
2 to 5 feet tall (2)
What do the leaves look like?
(picture here)
long, oval shaped, silver-green leaves covered with a white mat of short, silky hairs (trichomes) (3)
When do the flowers bloom?
in late winter and early spring
March 2023 – The Steps, Lake Havasu City, AZ
What do the flowers look like?
(picture here)(3)
has yellow, composite flowers (6)
Each flower is comprised of a central disk with many yellow or purple-brown disc florets, and yellow or orange-yellow ray florets. (6)
What is the lifespan of a brittlebush?
estimated to be less than 20 years (2, 3)
Does it have a smell?
The branches contain a fragrant resin.
What eat brittlebush?
desert blister beetles (Lytta magister) eat the leaves and flowers (5)
Resources
1. https://leafyplace.com/desert-plants/
2. https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Brittlebush.php
3 https://www.livescience.com/44641-desert-plants-brittlebush-photos.html
4. https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Brittlebush.php
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lytta_magister
6. https://florafinder.org/Species/Encelia_farinosa.php
