Rubber Rabbits and Cornbread

My head is crooked upward more often in autumn, my eye drawn toward vibrant trees. But when I venture to look down, I see beautiful crunchy fallen leaves and one of the most abundant and obvious plants blooming throughout Oregon’s high desert in fall: the rubber, or gray, rabbitbrush.

Gray rabbitbrush, or Ericameria nauseosa, is a tough but rather delicate-looking, multi-stemmed shrubby plant covered in long, thin, grayish-green leaves. But come autumn, you’ll find it seasonally topped with abundant sprays of vibrant yellow flowers. Practically glowing along sidewalks and riversides, plants are typically about 24 inches tall, with five to 30 stems in a cluster. Plant appearances vary a good deal due to growing conditions and location, with additional variability coming from the many varieties and sub-species.

Hikers will find pops of grey rabbitbrush showing off their seasonal yellows amid desert shrubs. Credit: Jeremy Austin

Commonly referred to as chamisa elsewhere in the arid West, gray rabbitbrush is a member of the huge and diverse Aster/Asteracea family, as is sagebrush and other members of the dryland plant community. However, the Ericameria genus is a recent reclassification, so you or your older botany book may know it by its former designation, Chrysothamnus.

By whatever name, gray rabbitbrush is ubiquitous throughout high desert landscapes, and it is quite attractive when in bloom. However, it’s often overlooked. Associated with the “typical” dryland community of big sagebrush, Great Basin wild rye and various bunch grasses, it thrives in many soil types and at a range of moisture levels. Most notably, it’s tolerant of disturbances that harm other fragile native desert vegetation like grazing, vehicles and fire. It’s not uncommon to see long stretches of highways, backroads, fence lines and building sites with thick stands of gray rabbitbrush, noticeable especially now because of the abundant bright yellow flower clusters.

Gray rabbitbrush is heavily utilized by a great many bee, wasp, beetle, moth and butterfly species feeding on its nectar and pollen into the late October blooming period when most other plants are bloomed out. Rabbitbrush is only lightly and occasionally used by vertebrate herbivores during the summer. However, in winter its remaining foliage can provide vital forage when other more desirable plants are depleted or buried in snow. Native animals who utilize rabbitbrush include deer, elk and pronghorn for browsing, jack rabbit who find protective shelter in dense stands, several species of birds foraging and sheltering in it, and lizards hunting in the litter.

In addition to the animal and insects who utilize the plant, Native peoples made—and many still make—medicinal tea, chewing gum and bright yellow dye from the flowers, as do contemporary wool artisans. It’s even reported that some Indigenous communities bake leaves into their cornbread to help it lighten up and rise. It’s suspected that the leaves, like some other gray arid land plants and juniper berries, host yeasts contributing to this phenomenon.

Grey rabbitbrush explodes with color throughout Oregon’s high desert in autumn. Credit: Scott Bowler

Gray rabbitbrush also makes for an easy and pretty landscape plant because it’s tough, water-thrifty, deep-rooted and reasonably well-behaved. The plant can re-sprout from the base if mowed or burned, and while rabbitbrush readily spreads from small, airborne seeds, it’s pretty easy to weed out unwanted extras. The quick growth contributes leaf litter quickly, adding valuable nutrients to soils and enriching the habitat for other plant species to follow.

Lastly, gray rabbitbrush, also known as rubber rabbitbrush, was indeed named for some natural rubber compounds it contains. The plant has been occasionally considered a source of rubber, especially during the two world wars. Recent research has investigated its suitability as a substitute for latex in surgical gloves and even as a source of biofuels, since the plant contains many volatile compounds.

All in all, grey rabbitbrush is a fascinating, and vital member of high desert plant communities. The native shrub promotes healthy habitats for high desert wildlife and insects, and it makes for a colorful addition to autumn’s seasonal display. Learn more about what makes a healthy high desert and how to care for desert lands, waters and wildlife at onda.org.

— Scott Bowler is a retired science educator and volunteer with Oregon Natural Desert Association, a nonprofit organization that protects and restores Oregon’s high desert public lands and waters.

This article appears in Source Weekly November 14, 2024.