Chamisa, Gray rabbitbrush, Rubber rabbitbrush
| Botanical Name | Ericameria nauseosa |
| Common Name | Chamisa, Gray rabbitbrush, Rubber rabbitbrush |
| Family | Asteraceae – Aster |
| Description | Nauseosa means heavily scented. This Ericameria is easily distinguished from other species by white felt-like matted hairs covering its twigs. The plant usually has a grayish-green appearance. Leaves are alternate, ranging from ¾” to 2” long. |
| Mature Size | 3’ - 5’ tall and wide. Can be 7’. |
| Bloom | Autumn bloom. Each yellow flower head consists of about 12 small tubular, yellow, sticky flowers. |
| Interesting Facts | Two other species, Ericameria vicidiflora (Sticky rabbitbrush) and Ericameria pulchella (Carrizozo) are very similar to Ericameria nauseosa. E. vicidiflora is tacky to the touch (vicidiflora means sticky-flowered) and evenly rounded with light green leaves about ½” long that twist into a gentle spiral. Its growth pattern is tighter than E. nauseosa. E. pulchella has narrow, oblong leaves up to 1 ½ feet long which are green at the beginning of the season, turning whitish. There are about 5 flowers to the flower head. Pulchella means beautiful. |
| Traditional and Medicinal Uses | It is one of the oldest known of the Indigenous yellow dyes. It has been used as the rich yellow color found in native blankets and Spanish-Americans mix guaco with the solution for a yellow paint. A tea was made from the plant to control fever. The white galls, resulting from the sting of a dipterous insect, were strung as beads and hung around babies’ necks to stop drooling |
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Photos for SFBG by Janice Tucker
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