Ambrosia ilicifolia

Holly-leaved bur-sage

Family: Asteraceae · Type: shrub · Native

Holly-leaved bur-sage is a California native shrub found in the southern desert region in sandy washes, rocky canyons, and creosote-bush scrub at elevations below 700 meters. Flowering from January to April, this plant produces small flowers in staminate heads with distinctive spiny, glandular phyllaries. Growing as a matted shrub less than one meter tall with erect, few-branched stems, it develops a dense, sticky appearance with glandular short-stiff hairs. Its leathery, dark green leaves are ovate to round, prominently veiny, sessile and clasping, with spine-tipped edges and spiny dentate margins. The fruit is a brown, spherical bur covered in 20 to 70 spiraled, strongly hooked spines less than 6 millimeters long.

Habitat: Sandy washes, rocky canyons, creosote-bush scrub

Bloom period: Jan-Apr

Elevation: < 700 m

Bioregions: DSon

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.