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Bitterbrush
Common
Name(s):
Bitterbrush
Antelope Bitterbrush
Buckbrush
Scientific
Name:
Purshia
tridentata (Pursh) DC.
Scientific
Name Synonyms:
None known
Symbol:
PUTR2
Description:
Life Span: Perennial
Origin:
Native
Season: Evergreen
and deciduous
Growth Characteristics:
A
many branched shrub with a rounded crown, usually growing 2 to 6
feet tall, but can grow up to 15 feet tall. It flowers April to
July, fruits mature July to September. It reproduces from seeds.
Flowers/Inflorescence:
Flowers
are yellow, with 5 spatula-shaped petals, 5 sepals, and many stamens
(20-25).
Fruits/Seeds:A
spindle-shaped seedpod with a tapering hairy beak. Bitterbrush reaches
seed-bearing age in 8 to 10 years.
Leaves: Evergreen
and alternate. The leaf tip is 3-lobed, the margins entire and rolled
under. The underside of the leaf is densely white-woolly. The leaves
have a very bitter taste.
Stems: Twigs
are gray to brown, with many short, spur-like branchlets, hairy
at first and losing hair towards tip.
Ecological
Adaptations:
Bitterbrush
occurs on foothills, mountain slopes, mesas, and open woodlands
on all aspects, from 3,100 to 10,000 feet in elevation. It sometimes
has nitrogen-fixing root nodules. It has excellent drought tolerance,
is moderately browse tolerant, and is intolerant of shade. It is
severely damaged by fire, especially if rain is not received shortly
after the burn, or if the burn occurs in the spring when soils are
moist.
Soils: Most
abundant in well-drained sandy, gravelly, or rocky soils.
Associated Species:
Snowberry,
curlleaf mountain mahogany, basin
wildrye, big sagebrush.
Uses and
Management:
Bitterbrush
is important browse for cattle, sheep, and goats, especially in
late fall and winter when the ground is snow-covered. It is usually
not eaten by horses. It is excellent browse for many species of
wildlife, and can be critical winter browse for deer.
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