Ericameria nauseosa
Rubber rabbitbrush
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ericameria nauseosa (Rubber rabbitbrush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by Tall aromatic shrub with white-tomentose twigs, thread-like leaves, dense flat-topped clusters of rayless (discoid) yellow heads.
Rubber rabbitbrush is a native shrub found in western North American desert, mountain, and interior valley regions in open, dry habitats at elevations from 100 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in dense, flat-topped clusters with disc-like flower heads. Growing 2 to 8 feet tall with spreading or erect stems that are strongly aromatic and covered in white to grayish woolly hair, it forms a dense, multi-branched structure. Its leaves are narrow and thread-like, 0.4 to 2.8 inches long, ranging from glabrous to densely hairy and often gland-dotted. The plant produces fruits 3 to 10 millimeters long, typically covered in soft hairs that give the shrub a silvery-gray appearance.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Tall aromatic shrub with white-tomentose twigs, thread-like leaves, dense flat-topped clusters of rayless (discoid) yellow heads.
Habitat and range
California counties: Alpine, Los Angeles, Inyo, Kern, Mono, Riverside, San Bernardino, Tulare, Amador, Ventura, Sierra, El Dorado, Plumas, Shasta, Trinity, Siskiyou, Lassen, Modoc, Santa Barbara, Alameda, Placer, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Nevada
How to tell it apart
vs Isocoma: Ericameria has bracts in 5 vertical rows; Isocoma has randomly arranged bracts.; vs Chrysothamnus: Ericameria has woolly young stems and deep pitted glands; Chrysothamnus has smooth/slightly fuzzy stems and surface glands or none.; vs Baccharis: Ericameria has yellow bisexual flowers in each head; Baccharis has separate male/female plants with whitish flowers.; vs Artemisia: Ericameria has yellow flowers and gland-dotted leaves; Artemisia has greenish flowers and aromatic gray-hairy leaves.; vs Lepidospartum: Ericameria has small narrow leaves; Lepidospartum has scale-like leaves on green rush-like stems.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ericameria nauseosa native to California?
Yes. Ericameria nauseosa is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Ericameria nauseosa grow?
Ericameria nauseosa occurs in Alpine, Los Angeles, Inyo, Kern, Mono, Riverside, San Bernardino, Tulare and other counties.
What plant family does Ericameria nauseosa belong to?
Ericameria nauseosa is in the Asteraceae family, genus Ericameria.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Ericameria nauseosa var. bernardina — Bernardina rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. ceruminosa — Desert rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca — White rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. leiosperma — Smooth-fruit rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis — Mojave rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila — Great basin rabbitbrush
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.