Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca
White rabbitbrush, White Rabbitbrush
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca (White rabbitbrush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by white/pale stems and leafy at flowering.
White rabbitbrush is a California native shrub found in the Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Mountains, southern Coast Ranges, western Transverse Ranges, eastern Sierra Nevada, western Mojave Desert, and Desert Mountains in scrub or woodland at elevations of 150 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces creamy white flowers in dense clusters with straw-colored involucres. Growing 0.3 to 2.5 meters tall with fragrant, leafy stems that are closely tomentose and range from white to gray- or yellow-green, it forms a distinctive rounded shape. Its leaves are 30 to 70 millimeters long, narrowly lanceolate, and sometimes reflexed, creating a soft, textured appearance. The shrub's delicate flower clusters have corolla lobes that are short and either erect or slightly bent inward.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 31 sympatric species; white/pale stems and leafy at flowering
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Well-drained granitic or limestone soils in scrub or woodland
Elevation: 150-2500 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Mono, Inyo, Kern, Alpine, Lassen, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Riverside, Modoc
Outside California: to southern Oregon, Idaho, Utah, northern Arizona
Bloom period
Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca blooms Aug-Oct.
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 var. hololeuca native to California?
Yes. Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca bloom?
Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca blooms Aug-Oct.
Where in California does Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca grow?
Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca occurs in San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Mono, Inyo, Kern, Alpine, Lassen, Santa Barbara and other counties, at elevations of 150-2500 m.
What plant family does Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca belong to?
Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca is in the Asteraceae family, genus Ericameria.
What habitat does Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca grow in?
Ericameria nauseosa var. hololeuca grows in Common. Well-drained granitic or limestone soils in scrub or woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Ericameria nauseosa var. leiosperma — Smooth-fruit rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis — Mojave rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila — Great basin rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa — Showy rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. washoensis — Washoe rabbitbrush
- Ericameria ophitidis — Serpentine goldenbush
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.