Rubber Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus)

Rubber Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) lives at 4,500 to 10,000 feet in dry, sunny environments and, specifically, in clay soils of the plains and foothills geographic zones. It can grow to be five to seven feet tall. Flowers are yellow and clustered in groups of four to six. Each rabbitbrush has several woody stems with grey bark that originate from the base of the shrub. The following picture shows a field of rubber rabbitbrush in Red Mountain Open Space.
Rubber rabbitbrush provides cover for birds and can serve as a nesting site. In addition, it acts as cover for small mammals such as rabbits. Further, deer, pronghorn, and rabbit eat its leaves. Butterflies eat nectar from its flowers. Finally, rubber rabbitbrush prevents water erosion with it deep tap roots and wind erosion with its dense bundle of stems and leaves.



The following Rubber Rabbitbrush was seen on Cave Spring Trail in Canyonlands National Park in Utah.