Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Baccharis emoryi is a species in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family known by the common name Emory's Baccharis. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in sandy, moist habitat such as riverbanks or alkali marsh, but also occasionally in more xeric areas. In California it is found in the southern half of the state. This is a shrub producing erect, branching stems approaching three meters in maximum height. The thick leaves are oblong to oval in shape and sometimes have roughly toothed edges. They may be up to 7 centimeters long. The shrub is dioecious, with male and female plants producing flower heads of different types. The head is enclosed in a layer of phyllaries and the female flowers yield fruits, each an achene with a white pappus about a centimeter long. The foliage and flower heads are hairy and sticky. This species is very similar to its relatives, Baccharis pilularis and Baccharis salicifolia. It's a good choice for a bioswale, edge of a pond, alkaline soil patches, or where rapid growth is desired and its tendency to spread can be accommodated.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

3 - 10 ft Tall
7 ft Wide

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Fast

Dormancy

Summer Semi-deciduous

Calscape icon
Color

Cream, White

Flowering season

Winter, Summer, Fall

Special uses

Hedge

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Low, Moderate, High

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Ease of care

Easy

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerates a variety of soils as long as adequate moisture is present. Tolerates sodic soil..
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.5

Site type

Sandy edges of rivers and washes, salt marshes, alkaline flats

Plant communities

Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Wetland-Riparian

Use with other wetland plants such as Sedge (Carex spp.), Rush (Juncus spp.), and Willow (Salix spp.). In desert areas it may be used with Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis)

Bats
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 18 likely

Confirmed Likely

Common Gray

Anavitrinella pampinaria

Orange Tortrix Moth

Argyrotaenia franciscana

Aristotelia argentifera

Fatal Metalmark

Calephelis nemesis