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Antelope Bitterbrush
Purshia tridentata
  
13 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Antelope Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) 13 Nurseries Carry This Plant Purshia tridentata is a nitrogen fixing shrub in the Rose family, native to mountainous areas of western North America ranging from southeastern British Columbia in the north, east to Montana and south to California and New Mexico. It grows on arid mountainsides; in California it occurs between 700-3,400 meter above sea level (Jepson) in the southern mountains and into the eastern Sierras, but lower further north, at 320-1,065 meter from the Cascades up to British Columbia (Plants of British Columbia). Common names include Antelope Brush, Antelope Bitterbrush, Buckbrush, Quinine Brush, and less commonly Deerbrush, Blackbrush, and Greasewood. Some of these names are shared with other closely related species. There are two recognized Varieties: Var. tridentata is generally found from Tulare County northward. Var. glandulosa is generally found from Mono County southward. This is an attractive plant for dry, mountainous areas and very important for wildlife. Although it is native to arid places, it can tolerate garden conditions as long as drainage is good.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
2 - 10 ft tall
2 - 10 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Mounding

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate, Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Semi-Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Cream, White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported
 
This plant is very valuable to wildlife where it is native, including numerous birds and small mammals who utilize the seeds

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 10 confirmed , 22 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Satyrium californica Image
California Hairstreak Satyrium californicaSatyrium californica
Satyrium behrii Image
Behr's Hairstreak Satyrium behriiSatyrium behrii
Hyalophora euryalus Image
Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus
Hemileuca eglanterina Image
Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina
Hemileuca nuttalli Image
Nuttall's Sheep Moth Hemileuca nuttalliHemileuca nuttalli
Malacosoma californica Image
Western Tent Caterpillar Malacosoma californicaMalacosoma californica
Xylena brucei Image
Bruce's Swordgrass Moth Xylena bruceiXylena brucei

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 13

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Usually rocky and/or gravelly, such as decomposed granite. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use with other plants of arid, mountainous regions such as Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), Fleabane (Erigeron sp.), Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum), Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula), and Desert Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius)

Maintenance
Maintenance
May be heavily browsed by deer

Propagation
Propagation?
Will spontaneously tip-root, and these can be translocated after they develop roots. Otherwise by seed or cuttings.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dry mountainous areas, most often on the eastern slope

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.0" - 118.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.30" - 4.23", Coldest Month: 11.1" - 61.0", Hottest Month: 34.6" - 87.8", Humidity: 0.38" - 40.86", Elevation: 276" - 14040"


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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


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