Carried by 6 nurseries
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Purshia tridentata is a nitrogen fixing shrub in the Rose family, 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. It grows on arid mountainsides; in California it occurs between 700-3,400 meter above sea level (Jepson) in the southern mountains and into the eastern Sierras, but lower further north, at 320-1,065 meter from the Cascades up to British Columbia (Plants of British Columbia). Common names include Antelope Brush, Antelope Bitterbrush, Buckbrush, Quinine Brush, and less commonly Deerbrush, Blackbrush, and Greasewood. Some of these names are shared with other closely related species. There are two recognized Varieties: Var. tridentata is generally found from Tulare County northward. Var. glandulosa is generally found from Mono County southward. This is an attractive plant for dry, mountainous areas and very important for wildlife. Although it is native to arid places, it can tolerate garden conditions as long as drainage is good.
Shrub
2 - 10 ft Tall
2 - 10 ft Wide
Upright, Mounding
Moderate, Fast
Summer Semi-deciduous
Pleasant
Yellow, Cream, White
Spring, Winter
Bank stabilization, Hedge
Full Sun, Partial Shade
Low, Very Low
Max 1x / month once established
Easy
Tolerates cold to -10° F
Fast
Usually rocky and/or gravelly, such as decomposed granite.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5
Will spontaneously tip-root, and these can be translocated after they develop roots. Otherwise by seed or cuttings.
Dry mountainous areas, most often on the eastern slope
Lodgepole Forest, Northern Juniper Woodland, Red Fir Forest, Sagebrush Scrub, Subalpine Forest, Yellow Pine Forest
Use with other plants of arid, mountainous regions such as Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), Fleabane (Erigeron spp.), Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum), Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula), and Desert Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius)
Butterflies and moths supported
10 confirmed and 21 likely
Elegant Sheepmoth
Hemileuca eglanterina
Nuttall's Sheep Moth
Hemileuca nuttalli
Ceanothus Silkmoth
Hyalophora euryalus