Sticky brittlebush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Encelia resinifera |
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Encelia
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E. resinifera
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| Encelia resinifera C.Clark
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The sticky brittlebush (scientific name: Encelia resinifera) is a cool flowering plant found in North America. It belongs to the sunflower family, just like the big sunflowers you might know!
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Where Does the Sticky Brittlebush Grow?
This plant lives in the Southwestern United States. You can find it in the states of Arizona and Utah. It usually grows in places that are quite high up. These areas are between 1,100 and 1,700 meters (about 3,600 to 5,600 feet) above sea level. The sticky brittlebush likes to grow in soil that comes from sandstone.
What Does the Sticky Brittlebush Look Like?
The sticky brittlebush is a type of shrub. It can grow to be about 40 to 150 centimeters (about 1.3 to 5 feet) tall. As the plant gets older, its main stem, called the trunk, starts to get cracks. This trunk helps support its thin branches.
Leaves of the Plant
The leaves of this plant are usually between 10 and 25 millimeters long. That's about the size of a small fingernail! Their shape is often like an egg or a spear, and they usually have a pointed tip.
Bright Yellow Flowers
The sticky brittlebush has pretty yellow flowerheads. These flowers grow one by one on the plant. You can usually see them blooming between May and July. Each flowerhead has about 8 to 13 ray florets. These are the petal-like parts that stick out from the center of the flower.
Different Types of Sticky Brittlebush
Scientists have found two slightly different types, or subspecies, of the sticky brittlebush. They are:
- Encelia resinifera subsp. resinifera: This one is sometimes called the "button brittlebush."
- Encelia resinifera subsp. tenuifolia C.Clark: This subspecies is found mostly around the Grand Canyon area. Its leaves and the ray florets of its flowers are much longer and thinner compared to their width.
How the Sticky Brittlebush Got Its Name
The sticky brittlebush has an interesting history with its name. Back in 1913, a scientist named M.E.Jones first described it. He thought it was just a different kind of another plant called Encelia frutescens. So, he named it Encelia frutescens var. resinosa.
But later, in 1998, another scientist named Curtis Clark studied it more closely. He realized that it was unique enough to be its own separate species. That's when it officially got its current name, Encelia resinifera.
