Antelope Bush, Desert Bitterbrush
Purshia tridentata var. glandulosa
Color: Cream to white
Common name: Antelope Brush, Desert Bitterbrush
Latin name: Purshia tridentata var. glandulosa
Family: ROSACEAE
Height: 3-16.5 feet
Description: Purshia tridentata var. glandulosa is a greenish plant with mostly glandular twig hairs. The fragrant five-parted flowers can be produced in great numbers.
Leaf: The 5–10 mm greenish leaves are sparsely covered with a densely interwoven and generally matted hairs and without a stalk.
Range: Desert Mountains, c&s High Sierra Nevada (e slope), Tehachapi Mountain Area, n Transverse Ranges and e Peninsular Ranges (Desert edge), East of Sierra Nevada
Habitat: Chaparral, Joshua-tree or pinyon/juniper woodland
Elevation: 700–3000 m.
Flowering time: Apr–Jun
Notes: Purshia tridentata var. glandulosa, a dicot, is a shrub that is native to California and is also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America. Distribution outside California: Nevada, Arizona. Photographed May 20, 2006 in the desert foothills on the north side of the San Bernardino Mountains, San Bernardino County, California.
We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.
Photo tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
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