aka: Rabbitbush

A prominent bush round these parts, getting on the end of bloom season. Mixes in well with sage. Marking a transition from fall to winter, the flowers will give way to fluffy seed pods during the winter. Wide-spread from the western Great Plains to the Sierra/Cascades, from British Columbia to Mexico, from sea level to 9,000 ft in the Rockies, the plant is a source of natural rubber - although not in economically-feasible quantities.

It has been used as a source of dyes and medicine; sometimes smoked, sometimes a food source.

As "western" a plant as sagebrush or mesquite, it is a source of food for birds, antelope, rabbits, and other small mammals throughout the winter.