Both staminate and pistillate heads are 3.5–5 millimetres (0.14–0.20 in) long. The cultivar ground cover selections have various qualities of height and spread, leaf colors, and textures. 1. When we lived in Sacramento and I often biked along the American River Bicycle Trail, I enjoyed the medicinal odor of sagebrush (Artemesia), especially on hot summer evenings when the odor can easily be detected in the air, and of coyote brush, which reminded me of motor oil. Coast live oak, California bay, Rhus integrifolia, and other shade producing species replace coastal sage scrub and other coyote bush-dominated areas, particularly when there hasn't been a wildfire or heavy grazing. Try growing bush baccharis as part of your natural landscape in parts of Oregon, California and coastal areas below 2,500 feet. In addition, the thick dense roots and stout crown help the plant regenerate after the upper growth has been consumed in a fire. Cultivars, often with the common name "dwarf coyote brush" or "dwarf baccharis" indicating ground cover selections, include: CONABIO. consanguinea in ecological restoration, there will not be as much seed set, nor recruitment of new individuals. [3] There are reports of isolated populations in New Mexico, most likely introduced.[4][5][6]. If ingested, the bush does have the ability to cause pregnancy termination. Phyllaries are in 4–6 series, ovate, and glabrous. It plays an important part in nature's plan, but can prove to be a pest in the garden. In California grasslands, it comes in late and invades and increases in the absence of fire or grazing. The amazingly adaptable plant is found in canyons, hillsides and bluffs. Branches from the plant were reportedly used to remove the spines from Prickly Pear. Erect plants are generally mixed (and intergrade completely) with prostrate plants. México. Coyote Brush Coyote brush is a low-growing groundcover favored for slope stabilization in many areas and is the perfect carpet for dry, infertile sites. These bushes can withstand drought, infertile soils, fire and salt spray. Fortunately, I just happened to have an abundance of it growing in my native plant garden at my house. Coyote brush is usually deer-resistant. The staminate flowers range from 20–30 and there are 19–43 pistillate flowers.[7]. Coyote bush is most likely found in coastal scrub and lowland zones. The plants are found in a variety of habitats, from coastal bluffs, oak woodlands, and grasslands, including on hillsides and in canyons, below 2,000 feet (610 m). Only male plants of Baccharis pilularis are cultivated for landscaping use. Where a site provides shelter, coyote bush looms taller and stretches for sunlight. Chaparral zones frequently experience wildfires to which the plant is equally well adapted. This and other Baccharis species are nectar sources for most of the predatory wasps, native skippers (small butterflies), and native flies in their ranges. Baccharis plant care is minimal and the bush may reward you in spring with tiny flowers that become cottony fluffy seeds in fall. The fluffy female seed heads were part of stuffing for toys and other items. Native people used it as a material for hunting tools, such as arrow shafts. [7], The flower heads are in a leafy panicle. CONABIO, México D.F.. California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion, California montane chaparral and woodlands, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baccharis_pilularis&oldid=964413276, Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands, Natural history of the California Coast Ranges, Natural history of the Central Valley (California), Natural history of the Channel Islands of California, Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area, Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 June 2020, at 10:23.