Common Names: Spineless Horsebrush, Gray Horsebrush
Synonyms: Tetradymia canescens, Tetradymia canescens var. inermis
Taxonomy: Asteraceae (Aster/Sunflowers)
Habit: Perennial Subshrub
Size: up to 32”
Flowers: Yellow
Bloom: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Leaves: alternate
Fruit: cypsela
Description:
Stems are erect, short, stout, highly branched. New growth is densely silvery hairy. Older bark is gray, and shreddy. Old leaf bud scars appear swollen, giving the stem a knobby appearance. Leaves are greyish-green in color, covered by whitish, tomentose hairs. Leaves are not spiny, unlike some other horsebrush species. Leaves tend to angle upwards, staying close to the stem. Flowers are bright yellow to cream, with pale lemon color being the most common. Long hairs surround the flowers. There are four to six bracts per head, hence the name Tetradymia. The flowers are similar in appearance to rabbitbrush flowers, only larger.
Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY
Seen: NV (Mountain Springs Summit)
Habitat: common on barren plains and foothills, and in deserts, at elevations from 4,400 to 10,500 feet
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