Coyote Bush, Baccharis pilularis

About Coyote Bush (Baccharis pilularis) 72 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Names include Coyote Brush (or Bush), Chaparral Broom, and Bush Baccharis. It is a common shrub in the Asteraceae that grows in California, Oregon, and Baja California. There are two subspecies. Ssp. pilularis is more common along the central coast. Ssp. consanguinea is found all along the coast and inland to the Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierras. All forms of this shrub are generally 1-3 meters in height. It is smooth and generally sticky. The stems are prostrate to erect which branches spreading or ascending. The leaves are 8-55 millimeters long with three principal veins and have profuse, white or yellow, rayless flowers that bloom in early winter. They are found in a variety of habitats, from coastal bluffs to oak woodlands.

Coyote Brush is extremely easy to grow in landscape applications. It tolerates summer water up to weekly, but naturalizes easily also. It is said to be fire resistant. The form is highly variable, ranging from upright to mounding to prostrate. Several forms available in native plant nurseries make an excellent groundcover. Named varieties include 'Twin Peaks', 'Santa Ana' and 'Pigeon Point'.Tolerant of recycled water.
To learn more, visit the Jepson Herbarium's YouTube channel and watch a short video about this species.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFE8DNjGUnE&t=11s

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

1.5 - 10 ft tall
12 ft wide

Form

Mounding, Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

None

Flower Color

Yellow, Cream, White

Flowering Season

Spring, Winter, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported

Very attractive to insects, especially when in flower. It is common to find wasp galls on leaves.
Butterfly gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 11 confirmed

, 19 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Coyote Brush Gall Moth Gnorimoschema baccharisellaGnorimoschema baccharisella

Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana

Bucculatrix variabilisBucculatrix variabilis

Tamarack Looper Eupithecia misturataEupithecia misturata

Prochoerodes truxaliataProchoerodes truxaliata

Aristotelia argentiferaAristotelia argentifera

Lupine Ghost Moths Phymatopus californicusPhymatopus californicus

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Very Low, Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries

Carried by 72

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerant of a variety of soils including sand, clay and alkaline. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Groundcovers, Hedges, Butterfly Gardens, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Good with oaks, Toyon, Coffeeberry species, Manzanita species, Ceanothus species, sages, and most other chaparral species

Maintenance

The upright form can be pruned to be tree-like if desired. The ground cover forms should be pruned annually if a neat appearance is desired. Some may even be mowed.

Propagation?

Nursery plants are usually male clones to avoid the fluffy plumes which some people may be allergic to. If you have both male and female plants in close proximity, you will get seedlings. For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones?

5*, 7, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Bluffs, hills, foothills and flats as a component of chaparral or coastal sage scrub

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 3.6" - 123.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 3.72", Coldest Month: 39.7" - 59.0", Hottest Month: 56.7" - 87.9", Humidity: 0.01" - 38.93", Elevation: -152" - 6046"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Coyotebrush

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Coyote Bush

Baccharis pilularis

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Coyote BushBaccharis pilularis

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Coyote Bush

Baccharis pilularis