Rubber rabbitbrush
Ericameria nauseosa (Pall. ex Pursh) G.L.Nesom & G.I.Baird
Also called rubber rabbitbrush, chamisa. Synonyms: Chrysothamnus nauseosus.
Gray-green, broom-like native shrub that turns into a mound of golden-yellow flowers in early fall, when it is one of the main nectar sources for late butterflies and bees in the high desert.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 0.9–2.1 m (3–7 ft) tall and 0.9–1.8 m (3–6 ft) wide; fast growth, about 4 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.45) from the #3 install size.
Bloom
Golden yellow flowers, Aug–Oct (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).
| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubber rabbitbrush : Aug–Oct |
Design notes
- Cut back hard in late winter every few years to keep it dense.
- Most at home in high desert and plateau gardens; in the low desert it needs a little summer water and afternoon relief.
Regions
Native range: Arid and semi-arid western North America, from southern Canada to northern Mexico.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
In the guides
Rubber rabbitbrush comes up in this guide:
Related plants
Try Rubber rabbitbrush in a plan
Opens your own copy of a finished sample garden in the planner with Rubber rabbitbrush ready to place; the planner checks it against that garden’s zone, light and moisture.
Plan with Rubber rabbitbrush
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.