Fendlera rupicola
Encyclopedia
Fendlera rupicola, commonly known as the cliff fendlerbush or the false mockorange, is a shrub that grows in dry locations in the south central montane regions of North America.
shrub
that grows one to three metres tall. The branches are tough and wiry, grey with furrowed bark. The leaves are opposite, oblong, entire, thick and twisted, with three veins. The creamy-white flowers open at the end of short branches, either solitary or in groups of up to three. The four sepals are purplish, the four petals narrow to a claw at the base and there is a central boss with four styles and eight stamens. The fruits are capsules that remain on the plant for a long time.
, New Mexico
, Colorado
, Utah
and Arizona
and the northern parts of Mexico
. It is common in the Trans-Pecos
region and is also found in the Davis Mountains
, the Chisos Mountains
and the Guadalupe Mountains
.
(Bouteloua gracilis) communities dominated by pinyon pine
and juniper
. It is found growing on dry rocky slopes, in desert
s and on mesa
s. It often grows in association with oneseed juniper
(Juniperus monosperma), alligator juniper
(J. deppeana), true pinyon
(Pinus edulis), gray oak
(Quercus grisea), skunkbush sumac
(Rhus trilobata), mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus breviflorus) and antelope bitterbrush
(Purshia tridentata).
Description
The fendlerbush is a deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
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...
that grows one to three metres tall. The branches are tough and wiry, grey with furrowed bark. The leaves are opposite, oblong, entire, thick and twisted, with three veins. The creamy-white flowers open at the end of short branches, either solitary or in groups of up to three. The four sepals are purplish, the four petals narrow to a claw at the base and there is a central boss with four styles and eight stamens. The fruits are capsules that remain on the plant for a long time.
Distribution
This species is found in mountainous areas of TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and the northern parts of 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...
. It is common in the Trans-Pecos
Trans-Pecos
The term Trans-Pecos, as originally defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, refers to the portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with "Far West Texas", a subdivision of West Texas...
region and is also found in the Davis Mountains
Davis Mountains
The Davis Mountains are a range of mountains in West Texas, located near Fort Davis, after which they are named. They are a popular site for camping and hiking and the region includes Fort Davis National Historic Site and Davis Mountains State Park...
, the Chisos Mountains
Chisos Mountains
The Chisos Mountains are a mountain range located in the Big Bend area of West Texas, USA. The mountain range is contained entirely within the boundaries of Big Bend National Park. This is the only mountain range in the United States to be fully contained within the boundary of a National Park...
and the Guadalupe Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
The Guadalupe Mountains are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both located within Guadalupe Mountains National Park, as well as Carlsbad Caverns...
.
Habitat
The fendlerbush typically grows in semi-arid conditions in blue gramaBlue grama
Blue Grama, Bouteloua gracilis, is a long-lived, warm season, C4 perennial grass native to North America. It is most commonly found from Alberta east to Manitoba and south across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Midwest states to Mexico...
(Bouteloua gracilis) communities dominated by pinyon pine
Pinyon pine
The pinyon pine group grows in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten...
and juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
. It is found growing on dry rocky slopes, in desert
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...
s and on mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
s. It often grows in association with oneseed juniper
Juniperus monosperma
Juniperus monosperma is a species of juniper native to western North America, in the United States in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado, western Oklahoma , and western Texas, and in Mexico in the extreme north of Chihuahua...
(Juniperus monosperma), alligator juniper
Juniperus deppeana
Juniperus deppeana is a small to medium-sized tree reaching 10-15 m tall. It is native to central and northern Mexico and the southwestern United States...
(J. deppeana), true pinyon
Colorado Pinyon
The Colorado Pinyon, Two-needle Pinyon, or Piñon Pine, ', is a pine in the pinyon pine group whose ancestor was a member of the Madro-Tertiary Flora and is native to the United States....
(Pinus edulis), gray oak
Quercus grisea
Quercus grisea, commonly known as the gray oak, shin oak or scrub oak, is a deciduous or evergreen shrub or medium sized tree in the white oak group and is endemic to the south central montane regions of North America. It hybridizes with four other oak species where the ranges of each overlap, the...
(Quercus grisea), skunkbush sumac
Rhus trilobata
Rhus trilobata is a shrub in the sumac genus with the common names sourberry, skunkbush, and three-leaf sumac. It is native to the western half of Canada and the Western United States, from the Great Plains to California and south through Arizona extending into northern Mexico...
(Rhus trilobata), mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus breviflorus) and antelope bitterbrush
Purshia tridentata
Purshia tridentata is a nitrogen fixing shrub in the genus Purshia, native to mountainous areas of western North America ranging from southeastern British Columbia in the north, east to Montana and south to California and New Mexico...
(Purshia tridentata).
Traditional uses
- NavajoNavajo peopleThe Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
Indians use an infusion of the inner bark of this plant when they have swallowed ants. - Navajo Indians use this plant to kill head lice.
- Navajo Indians use this plant as a cathartic.
- Navajo Indians use this plant in their plumeway, nightway, male shootingway and windway ceremonies.
- Havasupai and Navajo Indians use the wood of this plant to make arrow shafts.
- HopiHopiThe Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
Indians use the plant in religious ceremonies - Navajo Indians use wood from this plant to make notched and smooth sticks which are rubbed together in their mountain chant ceremony.
- Navajo Indians use the wood to make weaving forks, planting sticks and knitting needles.
- Navajo Indians use the plant boiled with juniperJuniperJunipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
berries, pinonPinyon pineThe pinyon pine group grows in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten...
buds and cornCornCorn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...
meal in their mush-eating ceremonies.