Desert Baccharis
Water Weed
Baccharis sergiloides
With adequate summer thunderstorms Desert Bacharis blooms profusely attracting many insects. Observed along Camp Creek, n.e. Maricopa Co., Arizona, USA. August 2008.
A few common insects:
SHRUB: Intricately branched shrub with resinous green stems typically
1 to 2 m tall.
FLOWERS: Numerous small heads of whitish-green flowers arranged in an
open, branched panicle. Each small head is furthermore divided into a dozen or
more very small florets. Blooming late summer. Dioecious, i.e. male and female
flowers appear on separate shrubs.
LEAVES: Elyptic leaves are narrower than
Seep-Willow and wider than
Desert Broom. Often leaves yellow and are shed leaving the stems to
conduct photosynthesis.
FRUIT: Small seeds on female shrubs with a crown of white bristles.
Easily dispersed by wind.
RANGE: Most common along northern and northwestern portions of the
Sonoran Desert of Arizona ranging into the Mojave Desert of Californai and
Nevada. Usually grows in gravelly washes that get a pretty good supply of water
but do not experience scouring flash floods.
UNARMED.
These green bushes are often obscure except in late summer when the blooms attract 100's of insects such as wasps, beetles, butterflies and flower-loving flies.