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Deerbrush
Common
Name(s):
Deerbrush
Snowbrush ceanothus
Scientific
Name:
Ceanothus
velutinus Dougl. Ex Hook.
Scientific
Name Synonyms:
None known
Symbol:
CEVI
Description:
Life Span: Perennial
Origin:
Native
Season: Evergreen
Growth Characteristics:
A
3 to 9 foot tall shrub with a single stem to many stems growing
from the base. The stems are loosely branched and spreading, often
prostrate. Flowers May to July, fruits mature in August and September,
reproduces from seeds. Plants produce a strong cinnamon or balsam-like
odor.
Flowers/Inflorescence:
Flowers
are in dense, white, showy clusters at the ends of the branches.
They are small and numerous. Each flower has 5 white, triangular
sepals which curve sharply between the petals over the flowers.
Has 5 white, pipe-shaped petals, usually curved downward.
Fruits/Seeds:
Fruits are a sticky glandular capsule, which separates into 3 carpels,
each with 1 seed. Each lobe has a blister-like keel. Seeds are shiny
and tan to dark brown.
Leaves: Alternate,
large, broadly oval shaped, with a serrated margin. Each leaf is
distinctly 3-veined from the base. The top of the leaf is dark green,
leathery, with a varnished appearance. The underside of the leaf
is pale with some hair.
Stems: Twigs
rigid, slightly flattened, slightly hairy, and olive green. The
bark is reddish-brown.
Ecological
Adaptations:
Deerbrush
grows on dry rocky hillsides, on mountain slopes, and in steep canyons
at elevations between 6,200 and 13,000 feet. It is shade intolerant
and generally grows on sunny, exposed sites. Deerbrush can grow
as scattered individuals or patches in open woodlands but forms
dense, extensive, nearly impenetrable stands on disturbed sites.
This is due to its capability to sprout vigorously after disturbance.
The roots are capable of nitrogen fixation.
Soils: Deerbrush
grows well on a variety of dry, rocky, well-drained soils. Soils
tend to be moderately acidic to neutral. Most abundant on logged
or burned areas.
Associated Species:
Big
sagebrush, aspen, mountain
brome, and chokecherry, Englemann
spruce, and subalpine fir.
Uses and
Management:
Deerbrush
provides food and cover for a wide variety of wildlife species.
It is eaten seasonally by elk, but is of primary value during the
winter. Deer feed on this shrub year-round where preferred forage
is scarce, but it is generally of primary importance during winter.
Deerbrush is an important fall and winter moose browse in many parts
of the Intermountain region. Fruits and seeds of deerbrush are eaten
by small mammals, and birds. All types of wildlife use it for cover
and areas to bed down.
Deerbrush is worthless to cattle and of very slight importance to
horses. It has poor forage value for domestic sheep. Use of deerbrush
by domestic sheep may indicate overgrazing. Annual utilization of
no more than 35 to 40 percent has been recommended for this shrub.
Some American Indians used the leaves of deerbrush as a tobacco
substitute. The leaves contain sapopin and were used to make soaps
and cleaners.
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