Alternate name: Goldenhills
Family: Asteraceae, Aster view all from this family
Description A round, silvery-gray, leafy bush with bright yellow flower heads that bloom in loosely branched clusters on branched stalks well above the foliage.
Flowers: heads 2-3" (5-7.5 cm) wide, with 8-18 yellow rays, each 1/4-5/8" (6-15 mm) long, surround a yellow disk (or brown disk in southern part of range) with scales that enfold the flowers.
Leaves: 1 1/4-4" (3.1-10 cm) long, ovate, hairy, with petioles.
Fruit: seed-like, without hairs or scales at top.
Height: 3-5' (90-150 cm).
Flower March-June.
Habitat Dry slopes and washes in the desert.
Range Southeastern California across southern Nevada to southwestern Utah and western Arizona, and northwestern Mexico.
Discussion In full flower, Brittlebush seems a solid hemisphere of brilliant yellow. The stems exude a fragrant resin that was chewed by Native Americans and used as incense in the churches of Baja California. A similar species, California Encelia (E. californica), which grows near the coast in southern California, has only one head in each stalk.
