Bailey & Bailey: Woody Plants of National Parks 143 



fancied resemblance of the feathery fruiting heads to the eagle-plumed war 

 bonnets of the Apache Indians.-^ They may also be compared to miniature 

 old-fashioned feather dusters. The herbage furnishes good browse, especially 

 during the winter. The bushes are very resistant to over-browsing and show 

 excellent recuperative powers, even though they are eaten back year after 

 year. The Indians used the straight branches for arrow shafts. 



Occurrence. — ZION : Coalpits Wash, 3,600 feet. GRAND CANYON, 2,500 to 7,500 

 feet. North Rim, rare: Point Sublime. South Rim, occasional: west of Hermit's Rest; 

 West Rim Drive near the Abyss; trail to Powell Memorial; Yavapai Point in the 

 garden. Canyon, abundant: Bright Angel trail l'/2 miles above Indian Gardens: Gar- 

 den Creek below Indian Gardens; Kaibab trail below South Rim; near Phantom 

 Ranch; Bright Angel Creek above Phantom Ranch; north of Cottonwood Camp; Nan- 

 koweap Basin; Little Colorado River. 



Antelope Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata (Pursh) D. C.) — A gray- 

 ish green, intricately-branched shrub li,4 to 8 feet high with brown or grayish 

 bark; leaves small, thick and leathery, wedge-shaped, about 1/4 to % inch 

 long, finely white-felty below, 3 -toothed at the tip, the side margins tend- 

 ing to be inrolled, occurring usually in small bunches on short branchlets; 

 flowers yellow, about 1/2 inch across, with 5 petals, borne along the stems on 

 short branchlets; fruits siriall, seed-lik" structures narrowed to a slender point 

 at the tip and tapering to the base, borne singly or sometimes in 2's. 



Bitterbrush is one of the most common shrubs in the Southwest, occurring 

 usually on dry plains or on hot south-facing slopes. The herbage is very 

 bitter, as the common name implies, but in spite of this, it is a very valuable 

 winter and early spring browse for deer and elk. A decoction of the leaves 

 was used by the Indians as a cough medicine.- ^ 



Occurrence. — crater lake, rare: near south entrance to park. LASSEN, rare: Hot 

 Springs Valley, 5,500 feet. SEQUOIA, rare: near southeastern park boundary. YELLOW- 

 STONE, rare, 6,600 feet: west entrance. GRAND TETON, rare: 2 miles south of park 

 headquarters, 6,600 feet. ROCKY MOUNTAIN, occasional, 8,500 feet: I mile south of 

 Deer Mountain. MESA VERDE. BRYCE CANYON, common near edge of cliff: near park 

 i'.eadquarters; near Bryce Lodge; along the rim drive; Far View; Inspiration Point. 

 ZION, occasional, 5,000 to 7,00U feet: West Rim trail above ranger cabin; base of 

 Checkerboard Mesa. 



Greasewood Chamise {Adenostoma fasciculatnm H. 8C A.). — Densely- 

 branched evergreen shrub, 2 to 10 feet high, with resinous sticky foliage; bark 

 brown, shreddy on the older stems; leaves dark green, small, needle-like, about 

 I/3 to Yg inch long, thick and rigid, crowded in small bundles along the stems; 

 flowers white, in densely-branched feathery clusters at the ends of the branches; 

 fruits small, hard, 1 -seeded achenes. 



Greasewood chamise is one of the most widespread and abundant of the 

 foothill shrubs in California. In Sequoia National Park it is common in the 

 foothill region below the ponderosa pine belt. The small green leaves borne 

 in clusters along the stems give the plant a heath-like appearance. The species 



28 Range Plant Handbook B 77: United States Department of Agriculture, Forest 

 c:. 1937. 

 y Stuhr, E. T., Manual of Pacific Coast Drug Plants. 120. 1933. 



