Broom Snakeweed
Gutierrezia sarothrae
Cave Creek , Maricopa Co., Arizona. 30 Sept. 2008.
SHRUB: Low to medium sized shrub - < ½
meter tall. Stems are thin and flexible with woody portions
restricted to base. Smaller stems green and photosynthetic.
FLOWERS: Bright yellow flowers and numerous small heads which begin
blooming in the fall after the equinox. The heads consist of several ray florets and
several disc florets.
LEAVES: Leaves are narrowly linear - almost thread-like in some
specimens. After extended drought can become leafless with green stems.
RANGE: More likely to be found at the upper elevations in the Sonoran
Desert. Abundance is often related to the intensity of cattle grazing. Cattle
leave this plant alone and so it becomes abundant on range with excessive
grazing pressure. Also found on rangelands in the Mohave, Chihuahuan and Great
Basin Desert areas.
UNARMED.
FRUIT: The seeds usually have some dry scales at top end.