Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis
Mojave rabbitbrush
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis (Mojave rabbitbrush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by large size and leafless at flowering.
Mojave rabbitbrush is a California native shrub found in the Mount Hamilton Range, southern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, eastern Sierra Nevada, and Mojave Desert in dry scrub habitats at elevations of 400 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces yellow flowers in compact heads with straw-colored involucres around 8.5 to 12 millimeters long. Growing 50 to 280 centimeters tall with nearly leafless stems that are densely white-tomentose and yellowish-green, it develops a distinctive woolly appearance. Its leaves are slender and thread-like, measuring 15 to 30 millimeters in length with a sparse, narrow profile. The plant's flower corollas range from 7 to 10.5 millimeters long, with small spreading lobes less than 2 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 31 sympatric species; large size and leafless at flowering
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Dry scrub
Elevation: 400-2400 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Monterey, Riverside, Inyo, San Benito, Santa Clara, Tulare, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Alameda, Mono
Outside California: southern Nevada
Bloom period
Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis 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. mohavensis native to California?
Yes. Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis bloom?
Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis blooms Aug-Oct.
Where in California does Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis grow?
Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis occurs in San Bernardino, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Monterey, Riverside, Inyo, San Benito and other counties, at elevations of 400-2400 m.
What plant family does Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis belong to?
Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis is in the Asteraceae family, genus Ericameria.
What habitat does Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis grow in?
Ericameria nauseosa var. mohavensis grows in Common. Dry scrub.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila — Great basin rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa — Showy rabbitbrush
- Ericameria nauseosa var. washoensis — Washoe rabbitbrush
- Ericameria ophitidis — Serpentine goldenbush
- Ericameria palmeri — Palmer goldenweed
- Ericameria palmeri var. pachylepis — Thickbracted 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.