birdandhike.com logo
Home | Vegetation | Plants Index | Shrubs
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Shrubs Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)

General: Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis) is a rounded, knee-high to thigh-high shrubs with medium-sized gray leaves and with many unbranched flower stalks extending above the tight ball of leaves. Each flower stalk is tipped with one large daisy flower. The ray flowers are yellow, while the disk flowers are orange (or at least darker yellow). The unbranched flowerstalks persist after the leaves are dropped.

Virgin River Brittlebush is a common component of vegetation communities along washes, on bajadas, and on the lower slopes of mountains in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zone. It can also be common component of hot, dry vegetation communities in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) life zone.

Virgin River Brittlebush is similar to a related species, Goldenhills [Brittlebush] (Encelia farinosa), but in Goldenhills, the flower stalks are branched, and the leaves are larger.

Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae).

Other names: brittle bush

Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Ray flowers yellow; disk flowers orange

Plant Form: Small to medium sized, drought-deciduous shrub with a woody base and a rounded, much-branched form. A thicket of small branches supports an umbrella of gray leaves.

Height: Usually about knee-high; to 3 ft.

Bark: Gray.

Stems: Woody base with many short branches.

Leaves: Leaves located toward the ends of branches. Triangular (1 inch long), with a narrow tip and broad (1/2-inch wide) base, simple, smooth edge, alternate. Leaves gray-green and covered canescent (felt-like) hairs interspersed with strigose (stiff) hairs, which give the leaves a rough, sandpaper-like feel.

Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Unbranched stalks persist after the flowers are gone

Flowers: Blooms in spring, also sporadically throughout the summer and fall (as late as late November) in response to rain. Flowers daisy-like, yellow, about 2-inch diameter, held on long, unbranched stalks above the leaves. Ray flowers 11-21. Receptacle flat to convex.

Seeds: Many small seeds per flowerhead; dispersed long distances by wind. Individual seeds flattened with thin edges and a ciliate margin.

Habitat: Well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils.

Elevation: About 1,500 to 4,500 feet.

Distribution: Occurs across the southwestern deserts from southern California to the southwest corner of Utah and southwest corner of New Mexico, and south into Mexico.

Comments: Virgin River Brittlebush is browsed by mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), but it has little value for domestic livestock. Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) eat the seeds.

Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis) Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis) Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis) Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Fresh leaves sprouting in the spring
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis) Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis) Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Leaves covered canescent hairs interspersed with strigose hairs
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Leaves have a rough, sandpaper-like feel caused by stiff hairs
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis) Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Stem with terminal flowerhead
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Note spider in upper-left edge of flower
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis) Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis) Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Developing seed
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Developing seed flat with fringe of hairs
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush during winter
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush during winter: stems are unbranched
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush dried flowerhead
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush dried flowerhead
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush dried flowerhead with seeds
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush seed
Virgin River Brittlebush (Encelia virginensis)
Virgin River Brittlebush in snow; notice unbranched stems
more to come
More to come ...

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
copyright; Last updated 240914

All Shrubs Plant Species Index Glossary Copyright, Conditions, Disclaimer Home
Google Ads