Plant Species of San Jacinto Mountain: Ericameria species, The Goldenbushes
Bruce Watts and Tom Chester
This is a work in progress, which we've just begun.
Goldenbushes are evergreen shrubs that delight botanists by blooming in late summer and fall, or, in one case, early spring, when most other shrubby plants are out of bloom. Some of the blooms are spectacular, making the whole plant appear golden, hence the common name; see Fig. 1. As a bonus, in some species, the flowers are followed by a display of beautiful seeds.
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| Fig. 1. Left: Ericameria linearifolia
, narrowleaf goldenbush, with flowering heads that contain both ray (petal-like) flowers and disk flowers. Right: Ericameria parishii, Parish's goldenbush, with flowering heads that contain only disk flowers.
Click on the pictures for larger versions. | |
Table 1 gives the names of the Ericameria species found here, along with some basic information about each.
Table 1. The Ericameria species of San Jacinto Mountain
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Elevation Range (feet) | Locations | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. cuneata var. spathulata | wide-leaved rock goldenbush | 2230-6890 | |||||||
| E. linearifolia | narrowleaf goldenbush | ||||||||
| E. nauseosa var. bernardina | San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush | 5400-9000 | |||||||
| E. nauseosa var. hololeuca | ghostly rabbitbrush | 4600? | |||||||
| E. nauseosa var. oreophila | threadleaf rabbitbrush | ||||||||
| E. parishii | Parish's goldenbush | 4000-6000 | |||||||
| E. pinifolia | pine goldenbush | ||||||||
| E. teretifolia | green rabbitbrush |