Encelia frutescens

Encelia frutescens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names button brittlebush and bush encelia.

Encelia frutescens
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Encelia
Species:	E. frutescens
Binomial name
Encelia frutescens A.Gray

Distribution

This is a plant of the deserts in the Southwestern United States, especially the Mojave Desert in California, and also Nevada and Arizona.

Description

The Encelia frutescens flower heads usually, but not always, lack ray florets and are composed of only a disc packed with disc florets. The leaves are rough and hairy. The flat, light fruits are wind dispersed. This is an occasional food plant for the desert tortoise. It is one of the first plants to colonize disturbed or burned sites.

Blooming in the Dead Mountains, Mojave Desert, California.

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment — Encelia frutescens
• USDA Plants Profile for Encelia frutescens
• Encelia frutescens Ecology
• Encelia frutescens — U.C. Photo gallery
• Media related to Encelia frutescens at Wikimedia Commons