Purshia tridentata

Bitterbrush
Purshia tridentata, Wenas Wildlife Area
Secure
Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Purshia
Species:
P. tridentata
Binomial name
Purshia tridentata
Synonyms
  • Kunzia tridentata (Pursh) Spreng.
  • Purshia tigarea F.Dietr., nom. illeg. superfl.
  • Tigarea tridentata Pursh

Purshia tridentata, with the common name bitterbrush, is a shrub in the genus Purshia of the family Rosaceae. It is native to mountainous areas of western North America.

Common names include antelope bitterbrush, antelope bush, buckbrush, quinine brush, and less commonly deerbrush, blackbrush, and greasewood. Some of these names are shared with other species.

Description

Purshia tridentata is a deciduous shrub growing to a height of 1–5 metres (3+1⁄2–16+1⁄2 feet). It has many branches and slender green, three- to five-lobed leaves 5–20 millimetres (1⁄4–3⁄4 in) long. It is a nitrogen-fixing plant.

The flowers are pale yellow, with five petals 6–8 mm long, and darker yellow anthers. The fruit is a cluster of dry, slender, leathery achenes each up to 1 centimetre (1⁄2 in) long.

Varieties

Some authorities name two varieties:

Distribution

The plant is found from southeastern British Columbia in the north, east to Montana and Wyoming, south to New Mexico, and west in California. It grows on arid mountainsides and slopes, as well as rocky or drained soils with somewhat more moisture than the sagebrush steppe. It is often associated with Balsamorhiza as well as Wyethia species, and in southern areas hybridizes with Purshia stansburyana.

In California it occurs between 700–3,400 m (2,300–11,200 ft) above sea level, including in the Peninsular Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Sierra Nevada, and southern Cascade Range. Further north it occurs at lower elevations, such as at 320–1,065 m (1,050–3,494 ft) in British Columbia.

Ecology

The shrub is an important forage plant for many game animals, including deer, especially during the winter.

References

  1. ↑ NatureServe (2 October 2026). "Purshia tridentata Antelope brush". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 11 November 2026.
  2. ↑ "Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 11 November 2026.
  3. 1 2 James Henrickson, "Purshia tridentata (Pursh) de Candolle, Trans. Linn. Soc. London. 12: 158. 1818", Flora of North America, vol. 9
  4. 1 2 3 4 CalFlora Database:Purshia tridentata . accessed 9.22.2013
  5. 1 2 3 NRCS. "Purshia tridentata". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  6. ↑ United States Congressional serial set. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1861.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 126. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
  8. ↑ David Andrews Dalton (1975). Nitrogen fixation by Purshia tridentata: some ecological aspects and root nodule anatomy. Oregon State University. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  9. ↑ Turner, Mark; Kuhlmann, Ellen (2014). Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest (1st ed.). Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-60469-263-1.
  10. ↑ CalFlora Database: Purshia tridentata var. glandulosa
  11. ↑ "Purshia glandulosa Curran". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 11 November 2026.
  12. ↑ CalFlora Database: Purshia tridentata var. tridentata
  13. ↑ Brian Vanden Heuvel & Thomas J. Rosatti 2016. Purshia tridentata, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, accessed 19 June 2016
  14. ↑ E-FLORA BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia
  15. ↑ Whitney, Stephen (1985). Western Forests (The Audubon Society Nature Guides). New York: Knopf. p. 401. ISBN 0-394-73127-1.