Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa
Showy rabbitbrush, Showy Rabbitbrush
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa (Showy rabbitbrush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by large showy corollas and leafy at flowering.
Showy rabbitbrush is a California native shrub found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area, Modoc Plateau, eastern Sierra Nevada, and Panamint Mountains in many dry habitats at elevations of 50 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces yellow flowers in clusters with corolla tubes 9 to 13 millimeters long. Growing with leafy stems 20 to 100 centimeters tall, it has a loosely tomentose appearance ranging from gray-white to dark green. Its leaves are 30 to 70 millimeters long, narrowly lanceolate and densely clustered along the stem. The shrub forms distinctive rounded clusters with bright yellow blossoms that stand out in dry, open landscapes.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 30 sympatric species; large showy corollas and leafy at flowering
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Many dry habitats
Elevation: 50-3500 m
California counties: Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, Fresno, Inyo, Mono, Siskiyou, Sierra, Glenn, Kern, Lake, Lassen, Mariposa, Shasta, Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Madera, Marin, Mendocino, Santa Clara, Nevada, Plumas, Placer, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Modoc, Yuba, Monterey, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Los Angeles, San Bernardino
Outside California: to British Columbia, Montana, Colorado
Bloom period
Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa 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. speciosa native to California?
Yes. Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa bloom?
Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa blooms Aug-Oct.
Where in California does Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa grow?
Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa occurs in Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, Fresno, Inyo, Mono, Siskiyou, Sierra and other counties, at elevations of 50-3500 m.
What plant family does Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa belong to?
Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa is in the Asteraceae family, genus Ericameria.
What habitat does Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa grow in?
Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa grows in Common. Many dry habitats.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-01
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.