-Brian

My favorite common name for Encelia farinosa is goldenhills because they really do turn the hills yellow when there's a good bloom in spring! Though, I do hear the name brittlebush far more often. Particularly common in my stomping grounds in the northern Sonoran Desert, these shrubs are found below 3000 ft (914 m) on dry, rocky slopes in Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona and Mexico. The specific epithet 'farinosa' means mealy or powdery, referring to the mealy appearance of their densely tomentose grey-green leaves. A gum made from the plant can be used as chewing gum, to fasten arrow points, as waterproofing material, or melted down for varnish. #Asteraceae #Encelia #brittlebush #arizona #nativeplants #botanize #botany #plants #nature #naturephotography #plantnatives #ethnobotany #wildflowers #yellow #sonorandesert (at Cave Creek, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuHtyWLF_sz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=okdkufh2z0wh

Brittlebush, or encelia. Mission Creek Preserve. Photos by rjzimmerman March 28 and April 5, 2017.

Various wildflowers (hedgehog cactus, dudleya, encelia) Joshua Tree National Park. Photo by rjzimmerman April 30, 2017.

Brittlebush, or encelia, Joshua Tree National Park. Photo by rjzimmerman April 29, 2017.