Purshia tridentata

Purshia tridentata
Purshia tridentata, Wenas Wildlife Area
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Purshia
Species:	P. tridentata
Binomial name
Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC.

Purshia tridentata is a shrub in the genus Purshia, and family Rosaceae. It is native to mountainous areas of western North America. ^[1]

Common names include antelope bitterbrush,^[2] antelope brush, buckbrush, quinine brush, and less commonly deerbrush, blackbrush, and greasewood. Some of these names are shared with other closely related species.

Distribution

The plant is found from southeastern British Columbia in the north, east to Montana and Wyoming, south to New Mexico, and west in California.^[3] It grows on arid mountainsides and slopes.

In California it occurs between 700–3,400 metres (2,300–11,200 ft) above sea level, including in the Peninsular Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Sierra Nevada, and southern Cascade Range.^[4][5] Further north it occurs at lower elevations, such as at 320–1,065 metres (1,050–3,494 ft) in British Columbia.^[6]

The yellow flowers have five petals and darker yellow anthers (Wenas Wildlife Area).

Description

Purshia tridentata is a deciduous shrub growing to a height of 1–5 metres (3.3–16.4 ft). It has slender three- to five-lobed leaves 5–20 mm long. It is a nitrogen fixing plant.^[7]

The flowers are pale yellow, with five petals 6–8 mm long, and darker yellow anthers. The fruit is a cluster of dry, slender, leathery achenes 0.6–2 cm long.

Varieties

There are two named varieties of the species:

• Purshia tridentata var. glandulosa — Eastern Sierra Nevada, Southern California. ^[8]
• Purshia tridentata var. tridentata — ^[9]

References

1. USDA: Purshia tridentata . accessed 9.22.2013
2. "Purshia tridentata". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
3. USDA: Purshia tridentata Distribution map . accessed 9.22.2013
4. CalFlora Database:Purshia tridentata . accessed 9.22.2013
5. Jepson
6. Plants of British Columbia
7. David Andrews Dalton (1975). Nitrogen fixation by Purshia tridentata: some ecological aspects and root nodule anatomy. Oregon State University. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
8. CalFlora Database: Purshia tridentata var. glandulosa
9. CalFlora Database: Purshia tridentata var. tridentata

External links

• USDA Plants Profile for Purshia tridentata (antelope bitterbrush)
• Jepson Manual Treatment: Purshia tridentata
• Central Washington Native Plants: Antelope bitterbrush
• Plants of British Columbia: Purshia tridentata
• Range Plants of Utah: Purshia tridentata (Antelope bitterbrush)