Common Names: Broom Snakeweed, Kindlingweed, Matchbrush, Texas Snakeweed, Broomweed, Turpentine Weed, Matchweed
Synonyms: Gutierrezia diversifolia, Gutierrezia lepidota, Gutierrezia linearifolia, Gutierrezia linearis, Gutierrezia linoides, Gutierrezia longipappa, Gutierrezia pomariensis, Gutierrezia sarothrae var. pomariensis, Gutierrezia tenuis, Solidago sarothrae, Xanthocephalum sarothrae, Xanthocephalum sarothrae var. pomariense, Xanthocephalum tenue
Taxonomy: Sunflower (Asteraceae)
Habit: perennial forb, herb, subshrub
Size: up to 3’
Flowers: yellow
Bloom: Jan, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
Leaves: alternate
Fruit: cypsela
Description:
The leaves are alternate and up to 2” (5 cm) long and thin. Glands on the leaves produce resin, making the leaves slightly sticky. The lower leaves are usually shed before the plant flowers. During its first year of growth, the plant produces a long, woody taproot, and numerous lateral roots as the plant matures. Numerous heads are arranged in a flat-topped cluster, which is rounded and loose. The flower heads are small, with yellow ray flowers. The bracts are leathery, shiny, green-tipped. Gutierrezia microcephala and Gutierrezia sarothrae are quite similar, the most easily observed difference is in the flowers: G. microcephala has only one or two of both ray and disk flowers; G. sarothrae has three to seven ray and disk flowers.
Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY
Seen: NV (Mount Charleston)
Habitat: Dry, open, calcareous mesas, plains & disturbed areas. The species is very adaptable, and can be found in a variety of ecoregions, including pinyon–juniper woodlands, desert shrublands, and sagebrush-grasslands.
