Blackbrush, Coleogyne ramosissima

About Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) 0 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Coleogyne is a monotypic genus in the rose family containing the single species Coleogyne ramosissima, which is known by the common name blackbrush. This thorny, aromatic shrub is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States. It is a thickly branched thicket which may spread across the ground in clumps or grow erect to approach two meters in height. It is drought-deciduous, such that its branches are covered in clumps of fuzzy thick leaves until the hottest, driest parts of the desert year when it drops some of its foliage and becomes dormant for the season. This plant forms vast monotypic stands across the desert floor and on scrubby slopes. Flowering is triggered by a heavy spring rain in this desert-adapted species. The leathery flowers grow at the ends of small stems. They are encased in thick, fuzzy sepals which are yellow inside and reddish or orange on the outer surface. There are no petals, but the sepals remain after the flower opens, surrounding the patch of whiskery stamens and the central pistil. The fruit is an achene a few millimeters long. The plant reproduces from seed, but very rarely. The seeds do not disperse well and seedlings do not survive in large numbers. A narrow range of temperature and moisture is required for the reproduction of this species, so it is sporadic, but the plants are hardy and long-lived.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

5 - 7 ft tall

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Slow

Dormancy

Summer Deciduous

Flower Color

Yellow, Orange, Red

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Dasyfidonia macdunnoughiDasyfidonia macdunnoughi

Spaelotis unicavaSpaelotis unicava

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade

Soil Description

Prefers sandy or loamy soils. Does not grow well in clay soils.

Common uses

Hedges

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry open slopes

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 3.4" - 18.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.35" - 3.19", Coldest Month: 33.8" - 59.1", Hottest Month: 61.4" - 87.4", Humidity: 2.67" - 43.13", Elevation: 705" - 7763"

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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

Blackbrush

Coleogyne ramosissima

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BlackbrushColeogyne ramosissima

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Blackbrush

Coleogyne ramosissima