Ericameria nauseosa var. washoensis

Washoe rabbitbrush, Washoe Rabbitbrush

Family: Asteraceae · Type: shrub · Native

Washoe rabbitbrush is a California native shrub found in the Modoc Plateau in dry juniper or pinyon grassland at elevations of 1,500 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces yellow flowers in heads approximately 10 to 12 millimeters long with white-tomentose involucres. Growing with white stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall that are sparsely leafy and tomentose, it has a distinctive branching habit. Its leaves are approximately 30 millimeters long, narrowly oblanceolate with sparse coverage along the stems. The plant produces fruits with a distinctive white hair-tuft at the distal end, giving it a characteristic appearance in its dry grassland habitat.

Habitat: Uncommon. Dry juniper or pinyon grassland

Bloom period: Aug-Oct

Elevation: 1500-1700 m

Bioregions: MP

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.