Yellow rabbitbrush facts for kids
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus is a type of shrub often called yellow rabbitbrush or green rabbitbrush. It belongs to the daisy family, which also includes sunflowers and daisies. This plant grows in many parts of North and South America.
Quick facts for kids Yellow rabbitbrush |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Chrysothamnus
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| Species: |
viscidiflorus
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| Synonyms | |
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Synonymy
Aster viscidiflorus Kuntze
Bigelovia douglasii A.Gray Bigelovia glauca (A.Nelson) K.Schum. Bigelowia douglasii A.Gray Bigelowia glauca (A.Nelson) K.Schum. Chrysothamnus douglasii (A.Gray) Clem. & E.G.Clem. Chrysothamnus glaucus A.Nelson Chrysothamnus latifolius (D.C.Eaton) Rydb. Chrysothamnus leucocladus Greene Chrysothamnus pumilus Nutt. Chrysothamnus serrulatus (Torr.) Rydb. Chrysothamnus stenolepis Rydb. Chrysothamnus tortifolius (A.Gray) Greene Crinitaria viscidiflora Hook. Ericameria viscidiflora (Hook.) L.C.Anderson Linosyris viscidiflora (Hook.) Torr. & A.Gray Chrysothamnus axillaris D.D.Keck, syn of subsp. axillaris Chrysothamnus elegans Greene, syn of subsp. lanceolatus Chrysothamnus lanceolatus Nutt., syn of subsp. lanceolatus Chrysothamnus marianus Rydb., syn of subsp. puberulus Chrysothamnus puberulus (D.C.Eaton) Greene, syn of subsp. puberulus |
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Contents
Where Yellow Rabbitbrush Grows
This plant is found all over North America. You can see it in much of the western United States and western Canada. It grows from British Columbia and Montana down to California and New Mexico. Some groups of these plants are also in the Black Hills of South Dakota and western Nebraska. It also grows in South America, in the Andean valleys of Chile and Argentina.
Yellow rabbitbrush can grow easily in soils that are salty or have a lot of calcium. It quickly starts growing in places where the land has been disturbed. This includes areas that have been burned, flooded, or had rockslides. Because of this, it's a very useful shrub for fixing damaged land. It helps bring life back to areas that have been overgrazed by animals or left empty after mining.
What Yellow Rabbitbrush Looks Like
Yellow rabbitbrush can grow up to about 150 cm (59 in; 5 ft) tall. It has branches that spread out and are pale and easy to break. Its leaves can be a few centimeters long. Some leaves are thin like threads, while others are wider, up to one centimeter across. The leaves are also sticky and have glands that produce resin.
The plant's flowers grow in a bushy group called an inflorescence. Each flower group is made of many small flower heads. Each head is about one-half to one centimeter long. These flower heads are covered with sticky, yellowish-green leaf-like parts called phyllaries. Inside, you'll find several yellowish flowers that stick out.
After the flowers, the plant produces a fruit called an achene. This achene is small, only a few millimeters long, and has a fuzzy, wispy top called a pappus. This helps the seeds float away in the wind. You can often find yellow rabbitbrush growing in sagebrush areas and woodlands.
Ecology and Life Cycle
Yellow rabbitbrush is important for some insects. It is a host plant for the sagebrush checkerspot butterfly. This means the butterfly's young, called larvae, eat the plant. The plant is also a very important source of nectar for many insects in the fall. Nectar is a sweet liquid that gives insects energy.
Different Types of Yellow Rabbitbrush
Just like there are different types of dogs, there are different types of yellow rabbitbrush. These are called subspecies or varieties. They might look a little different or grow in different places. For example, some types grow in deserts, while others prefer high mountain areas.
- Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus subsp. axillaris — found on desert slopes in states like Arizona and California.
- Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus subsp. lanceolatus — found in places like Pennington County in South Dakota.
- Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus subsp. puberulus — grows in high mountain areas, called alpine zones, in states like Arizona and California.
- Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus subsp. viscidiflorus — found on rocky slopes in most areas where the species grows.
