Description

The rubber rabbitbush grows in a variety of sunny, rocky habitats throughout the American West. In California it is found in exposed spots at higher elevations throughout the state. In Santa Clara County one encounters the rubber rabbitbush in both the Diablo Range and Santa Cruz Mountains. It is easily viewed at the summit of Mt. Umunhum (always worth a visit). It grows as an open, rounded shrub with gray-green needle-like “rubbery” leaves. Like some other members of the genus, this little shrub is most ornate when it blooms in early fall. The bright yellow flowers are attractive to a variety of pollinators, of course. Plant this distinctive shrub in a sunny, well-draining bed among other shrubs among which it may blend during its dormant period when the branches have few green leaves.