Stems and branches are copious and woody. Coyote brush has elongated, egg-shaped leaves with three prominent veins. Encinitas, CA 92023 Chaparral Coyote BrushBaccharis pilularis ssp. I once learned that there is a fan club dedicated to the advance- ment and popularization of coyote brush. Box 230634 Flowers are insignificant, but seed pappus on female plants can be heavy and distracting in garden plantings. Most of the coyote brush near the top of the trail is so infested that it’s hard to find a single clump of leaves that isn’t full of webbing. Coyote brush has bright green leaves, to 1/2 in. Shrubs are most conspicuous when they are dispersing the plumed seeds. Baccharis pilularis - Coyote Brush California native Makes dense, billowy, bright green mat Height 8" - 24" • Spread 6 feet Adapts to various soils and climate Along coast, needs no water once established; Inland needs monthly deep watering Excellent bank cover Low maintenance An herbaceous perennial, coyote bush has evolved several adaptive strategies to thrive in poor soils with loose vertical soil. One plant is rarely found growing alone, as you’ll see if you visit Coyote Valley or Rancho Cañada del Oro open space preserves. Baccharis pilularis 'Pigeon Point' (Dwarf Coyote Brush) - A low growing groundcover shrub to 1 to 2 feet tall by about 8 feet wide with light green rounded leaves that while small, are larger and lighter colored than the typical species and other cultivars. For propagating by seed: No treatment. Also, the numerous small, wind-born seeds have a wide dispersal area and good chance of landing in disturbed areas. Coyote brush is somewhat resistant to burning, perhaps because of high concentrations of fire-retardant organic compounds in the leaves.25 Some local agencies recommend them for planting in fire prone areas.24 Under the right conditions, however, coyote brush will burn.5, Waxy coating on leaves retards water loss | Central Basin, south side | November 2012, Coyote brush in previously farmed area | Central Basin, south side, Rios trailhead | July 2013, Seeds with expanded pappus | Santa Helena trailhead | October 2010, The name “broom” is borrowed from the closely related B. serothroides in which terminal branchlets tend to be more upright and parallel, resembling little brooms. It often colonizes disturbed areas. Leaves are 0.2 to0.6 inches in length (Bogler, D. 2016). This native shrub features numerous, closely set, small and stiff egg-shaped, grey-green leaves, somewhat jagged on the edges and covered in a waxy coating that reduces the amount of moisture lost to evaporation. Coyote brush grows all over the coastal ranges of California and up into Oregon. Coyote brush is a common chaparral or coastal scrub plant, found through parts of California, Oregon, New Mexico and northern Mexico. One other Baccharis species, mule fat (B. salicifolia), is frequent in the Reserve, but prefers more riparian areas. With its small leaves and inconspicuous, fluffy blossoms, it isn’t particularly appealing or showy. Blooms occur between August and December1 and are pollinated by a wide variety of insects. Galls offer protection and nutrition to the midge larvae while they mature, and they sometimes also support the competitors and predators of the midge.The specific name for coyote brush, pilularis, is Latin for having globules, which may refer to these spherical galls.21. It may dominate coastal sage scrub vegetation after a disturbance but it is also found in chaparral and other vegetation types. When one sees coyote brush growing in the wild, you might wonder what the attraction is all about. Some may even be mowed. The Baccharis pilularis shrub is generally smaller than 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height. Leaves are fragrant and sticky, producing oils that make the plant unappetizing and may protect the … Two subspecies of coyote brush have been described, based largely on their growth form and habitat. Female florets have a slender, pale, tubular corolla that  is concealed within the pappus. Coyote brush is a perennial shrub usually less than 10 feet (3 m) tall, with numerous, stiff, ascending branches from an extensive root system, with a taproot that may extend 10 feet (3 m) and a well-developed lateral system. One theory holds that the leaves may look like coyote paws; another that the plant is variable and adaptable – “clever, like a coyote”.25 A less imaginative theory suggests it was named because of an ecological association with coyotes. Noteworthy Characteristics. 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