Coleogyne racimossisima (Blackbrush)

Photographs

My photos:

These photos are from Joshua Tree in March.

More photos:

click photo to enlarge

Plant Information

Rosaceae

In the garden:

This is an intricately branched shrub with spiny branches, growing to 6 feet tall and ashy-gray in coloration. It’s leaves are deciduous. Flowers are solitary and lack a petal. It blooms from April to June. It can grow in alkaline soils. Not often used in the garden.

In the wild:

Blackbrush occurs primarily in the transition zone between the Mojave and Great Basin deserts and on the western border of the Sonoran Desert, forming a band from southeastern California to southwestern Colorado. Found on dry slopes, below 5000 feet. Blackbrush is grazed by wild ungulates, primarily mule deer and desert bighorn sheep.

Ethnobotany:

Blackbrush areas are economically important for winter grazing by domestic livestock, especially sheep.

Field Trips
Anza Borrego Caspers Holy Jim Canyon Idyllwild
Joshua Tree Mt Palomar Rancho Santa Ana Torrey Pines

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