Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa)

Silvery leaves with
Fragrant resin, sunflower's
Cousin in winter.

~ carliewired

Brittlebush got its name because of its brittle stems. In Spanish, it is called "hierba del vaso" (glass grass) or "incienso" (incense) because the early Spanish Missions burned the dried sap here in the New World.

Brittlebush is a common bush in the Sonoran Desert of the American southwest and the Mexican northwest. It is a frost sensitive plant so it will be found where survival is more certain - dry slopes and washes. It is usually a roundish mound 2 to 5 feet high. This one got itself tangled into another shrub. It has hairy leaves that serve to insulate the plant against the cold and also to conserve moisture.

Mule deer and bighorn sheep will browse on brittlebush. Birds and rodents will eat the seeds. Native peoples would use the resin as a glue, a gum and apply it to the skin to relieve pain. Cowboys of the old west would peel a stem and use it as a toothbrush.

I understand that brittlebush is supposed to bloom in spring, not winter. We've had more than the usual rain in this area since September, so I expect this plant has seized the opportunity. It certainly brightens up the space.