Green Rabbit Brush
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Hook.) Nutt
Green rabbit brush. Collected along the Clearwater River from near the mouth of the Potlatch River to just downstream from Pine Creek in Nez Perce Co., Idaho, on 6 May 1806. (Source)
Spreading shrub 2-4+ tall with woody stems, greenish-yellow branches and leaves. The leaves are slender and sharp pointed and there are tiny individual flowers massed in large rounded clusters. The leaves and stems are pleasantly aromatic when crushed. Green Rabbit Brush has many brittle stems branching from a compact base. The species has a large geographic range and a wide ecological amplitude. Several subspecies and varieties with somewhat different distributions have been identified. Colorful and showy in late summer. Green Rabbit Brush flowering usually begins in September. Fruit ripens in October and is disseminated in the remaining fall months. A stratification period does not appear to be necessary but may speed germination. Seeds generally begin sprouting in March and continue sprouting into June. Found in a variety of substrates from the lowlands to mountains, often with sagebrush Reported by Nuttall "in the Rocky Mts the banks of the Lewis' River,"
Medicinal Uses: A poultice made from the chewed plant tips has been applied to boils and rheumatic joints. An infusion of the leaves has been used to treat coughs, fevers, colds, internal injuries, and constipation. The finely mashed leaves have been inserted in tooth cavities to treat toothache.