Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila
Great basin rabbitbrush, Great Basin Rabbitbrush
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila (Great basin rabbitbrush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by leafy at flowering with narrow inflorescence.
Great basin rabbitbrush is a California native shrub found in the eastern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, southern Sierra Nevada, western Transverse Ranges, San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, Great Basin, and Death Valley Mountains in alkaline soils at elevations of 1,000 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces yellow flowers in narrow clusters with heads 6 to 10 millimeters long. Growing 0.5 to 2.5 meters tall with closely tomentose yellow-green stems densely covered in leaves, it forms a distinctive rounded shrub. Its leaves are narrow and thread-like, measuring 20 to 60 millimeters long, with a sparse, delicate appearance. The flower corollas are 6 to 9 millimeters long, with spreading to recurved lobes that create a distinctive open-branching structure.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 37 sympatric species; leafy at flowering with narrow inflorescence
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Generally alkaline soils
Elevation: 1000-3000 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Mono, Kern, Lassen, Los Angeles, Inyo, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Modoc, Siskiyou, Tulare, Ventura, Trinity, Mendocino, Tehama, El Dorado, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Diego
Outside California: to Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Baja California
Bloom period
Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila 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. oreophila native to California?
Yes. Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila bloom?
Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila blooms Aug-Oct.
Where in California does Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila grow?
Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila occurs in San Bernardino, Mono, Kern, Lassen, Los Angeles, Inyo, Plumas, Riverside and other counties, at elevations of 1000-3000 m.
What plant family does Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila belong to?
Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila is in the Asteraceae family, genus Ericameria.
What habitat does Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila grow in?
Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila grows in Common. Generally alkaline soils.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- 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
- Ericameria palmeri var. palmeri — Palmer's goldenbush
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-06
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.