Encelia farinosa
Encyclopedia
Encelia farinosa, or Brittlebush, is a common desert
shrub
of northwestern Mexico
through California
and the southwestern United States
. Its common name comes from the brittleness of its stems
.
Other names include "incienso," and "hierba del vaso" (Spanish) and "cotx" (Seri). The Spanish name is because dried sap was burned by early Spanish Missions in the New World as incense
.
has begun to use it in hydroseeding
.
3–8 cm long, ovate to deltoid, and silvery tomentose
. The capitula
are 3-3.5 cm diameter, with orange-yellow ray florets and yellow or purple-brown disc florets. They are arranged in loose panicle
s above the leafy stems fruit
3–6 mm and there is no pappus.
3-Acetyl-6-methoxybenzaldehyde
is a chemical compound found in the leaves of E. farinosa.
dark-eyed brittlebush
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
of northwestern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
through California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and the southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
. Its common name comes from the brittleness of its stems
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
.
Other names include "incienso," and "hierba del vaso" (Spanish) and "cotx" (Seri). The Spanish name is because dried sap was burned by early Spanish Missions in the New World as incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
.
Habitat
Encelia farinosa can be found in a variety of habitats from dry gravelly slopes to open sandy washes up to 1000 m. It does well in cultivation and recently has spread dramatically in areas not natural to its distribution in large part because CaltransCalifornia Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...
has begun to use it in hydroseeding
Hydroseeding
Hydroseeding is a planting process which utilizes a slurry of seed and mulch. The slurry is transported in a tank, either truck- or trailer-mounted and sprayed over prepared ground. Helicopters have been used to cover larger areas...
.
Description
Encelia farinosa grows to 1 m-3 ft tall, with fragrant leavesLeaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
3–8 cm long, ovate to deltoid, and silvery tomentose
Tomentose
Tomentose is a term used to describe plant hairs that are flattened and matted, forming a woolly coating known as tomentum. Often the hairs are silver or gray-colored...
. The capitula
Capitulum
The term Capitulum can refer to several things:*In botany, a type of flower head where the bracts are located under the basis, such as a daisy's*Also in botany, the top of a Sphagnum moss plant with compact clusters of young branches....
are 3-3.5 cm diameter, with orange-yellow ray florets and yellow or purple-brown disc florets. They are arranged in loose panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
s above the leafy stems fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
3–6 mm and there is no pappus.
3-Acetyl-6-methoxybenzaldehyde
3-Acetyl-6-methoxybenzaldehyde
3-Acetyl-6-methoxybenzaldehyde is a chemical compound found in the leaves of Encelia farinosa....
is a chemical compound found in the leaves of E. farinosa.
Varieties
- Encelia farinosa var. farinosa Gray ex Torr.
- Encelia farinosa var. phenicodonta (Blake) I.M. Johnston ---
dark-eyed brittlebush
- Encelia farinosa var. radians Brandeg. ex Blake
Uses
Brittlebush has a long history of uses by indigenous and pioneer peoples.- Glue: The resin collected from the base of the plant is often yellowish to brown in color. This resin can be heated and used as a glue. The O'odham and SeriSeriThe Seris are an indigenous group of the Mexican state of Sonora. The majority reside on the Seri communal property , in the towns of Punta Chueca and El Desemboque on the mainland coast of the Gulf of California...
use it for hafting, to hold points on arrows and harpoons. - Sealer: A different sort of resin is collected from the upper stems, is more gummy and generally a clear yellow. The Seri use this to seal pottery vessels.
- Gum: The Sells area Tohono O'odhamTohono O'odhamThe Tohono O'odham are a group of Native American people who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert of the southeastern Arizona and northwest Mexico...
children use upper stem resin as a passable chewing gum. - Incense: The early Spanish friars learned that this resin made a highly fragrant incense, akin to frankenscense in odor.
- Toothbrush: Oldtime cowboys used brittlebush stem as a fine toothbrush. Simply select a largish branch and peal off the bitter bark, no need for toothpaste.
- Medicinal: Seri use brittlebush to treat toothache. For toothache the bark is removed, the branch heated in ashes, and then placed in the mouth to "harden" a loose tooth.