Encelia frutescens, button brittlebush
Esser, Lora L. 1993. Encelia frutescens, button brittlebush. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/encfru
| Abbreviation | Common Name | Scientific Name | Classification | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plants | ||||
| ENCFRU | button brittlebush | Encelia frutescens | Life Form: Plants/Shrub Kingdom: Plantae Class: Dicot Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Genus: Encelia | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
Taxonomy
The scientific name for button brittlebush is Encelia frutescens (Gray) Gray [16]. There are no subspecies, forms, or natural hybrids. Recognized varieties are as follows [10,26]:
- E. frutescens var. frutescens Gray
- E. frutescens var. resinosa Jones
Synonyms
- Encelia frutescens forma virginensis Hall
- Encelis frutescens var. virginensis Blake
Other Common Names
brittlebush, bush encelia
General Distribution
Button brittlebush occurs in the Mojave and Colorado deserts of southern California, westward to eastern San Diego County [16]. Its range extends eastward through central and southern Nevada to southern Utah and Arizona [11,16,26].
Distribution of button brittlebush in the United States.
States and Provinces
- United States: AZ CA NV UT
Site Characteristics
Button brittlebush is found in upland areas of low hills and alluvial valleys in desert environments [25]. It is common on rocky slopes and on impoverished, residual sands and gravels [21]. Button brittlebush occurs in areas with slow internal drainage where the water table is near the surface of the soil. In the Nevada Test Site area, the soils are highly alkaline and may be salt encrusted at the surface [27]. Button brittlebush is a rare shrub in the Kelso Dunes area of the Mojave Desert [21]. It occurs in spring and seepage areas of the Mojave Desert where the soils are moist year-round or are seasonally saturated [27]. Button brittlebush inhabits naturally disturbed areas such as drainage channels and areas with substrate alterations [18].
Elevation: In the Mojave and Colorado deserts of southern California, button brittlebush occurs at elevations from 1,700 to 6,000 feet (525-1,830 m) [18,25]. On rocky slopes and mesas of Arizona, button brittlebush grows at elevations up to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) [11]. In southwestern Utah, it is found at elevations of 4,000 feet (1,220 m) [15]. In southern Nevada, button brittlebush can be found at elevations of 5,000 feet (1,500 m) [27].
Climate: In the deserts of California, the seasonal and diurnal temperatures are highly variable. Mean summer maximum temperatures are from 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (37-42 deg C), and mean winter minimum temperatures are from 30 to 42 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1-5.5 deg C) [17]. The average annual precipitation in these desert environments is from 2 to 8 inches (5.1-20.3 cm) [17].
Plant associates: Common associates of button brittlebush not mentioned in Distribution and Occurrence include: wirelettuce (Stephanomeria pauciflora), shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia), teddybear cholla (Opuntia bigelovii), rayless goldenhead (Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus), desertholly (Atriplex hymenelytra), desertsenna (Cassia armata), narrowleaf goldenbush (Happlopappus linearifolius), alkali goldenbush (Haplopappus acradenius), iva (Iva acerosa), desert polygala (Polygala acanthoclada), Cooper wolfberry (Lycium cooperi), desert almond (Prunus fasciculata), ephedra (Ephedra spp.), liveforever (Dudleya spp.), agave (Agave spp.), yucca (Yucca spp.), brickellia (Brickellia spp.), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus spp.), euphorbia (Euphorbia spp.), buckwheat (Erigonum spp.), shrubby alkali aster (Aster intricatus), thistle (Cirsium mohavense), false sunflower (Enceliopsis nudicaulis), alkaliweed (Cressa truxillensis), Montana pepperweed (Lepidium montanum), and snakeweed (Gutierrezia spp.) [2,18,21].
Plant Communities
Button brittlebush occurs as isolated individuals or in small groups on talus and slickrock in blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) and shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia) communities, and in creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) and Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) communities [26]. In southwestern Utah, button brittlebush is found in xeroriparian communities and arroyo habitats [15].
Botanical Description
Button brittlebrush plant. (CC BY 4.0)
Button brittlebush is a short-lived, drought-deciduous, perennial, native shrub. It is rounded and many branched, growing from 1.5 to 5 feet (0.5-1.5 m) tall [16,26]. Stems are ascending to erect. Leaves are 0.4 to 0.8 inch (1-2 cm) long [16,17]. The seeds of button brittlebush have flat surfaces and low mass, accounting for their excellent lofting ability [14]. The lifespan of button brittlebush is unknown but is judged to be a few decades [24].
Raunkiaer Life Form (Raunkiaer 1934)
- Hemicryptophyte
Seasonal Development
Flowering occurs from February to May in California [17] and from January to September in Arizona [11]. Button brittlebush is probably drought deciduous, as are other species of Encelia [28].
Regeneration Processes
Button brittlebrush flowers. (CC BY 4.0)
Button brittlebush reproduces sexually. The seeds are dispersed by wind and have excellent lofting ability, but will not disperse well from the surface of the ground [14]. The fruit of button brittlebush contains two hairy awns on the tip that catch wind currents [14].
Successional Status
Succession in most desert communities requires a few centuries and in creosotebush communities it could take several thousands of years for stable communities to establish [25]. Succession in desert communities has not been well documented for this reason.
Button brittlebush colonizes recently disturbed sites such as debris flows, borrow pits, and drainage channels [23,25]. It is a short-lived invader that increases its population size with a corresponding increase in the level of disturbance [23]. Button brittlebush maintains low numbers in small natural disturbances within the mature community.
In the Mojave desert, a borrow pit was excavated in 1970-71 to a depth of 3.3 to 6.6 feet (1-2 m). Large-scale seedling establishment by button brittlebush occurred following the excavation. The heavily disturbed bottom of the pit was colonized by a scrub community of low bushes dominated by button brittlebush [23]. The undisturbed area around the pit was dominated by a creosotebush scrub community consisting of long-lived shrubs. On partially-disturbed sites on the sides of the borrow pit, button brittlebush was less common than in the more heavily disturbed sites. The plant density of button brittlebush per hectare on: A-an undisturbed control area; B-the heavily disturbed borrow pit bottom; and C-the partially disturbed pit sides are as follows [23]:
| Site | Undisturbed/Control site | Heavily disturbed borrow pit bottom | Partially disturbed pit sides | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1979 | 1973 | 1975 | 1979 | 1973 | 1975 | 1979 |
| Button brittlebush | 16 | 2446 | 2800 | 2837 | 1464 | 1514 | 1500 |
Immediate Fire Effects
No information was available on this topic as of 1993.
Postfire Regeneration Strategy (Stickney 1989)
- Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
Fire Adaptations
Information regarding the fire ecology of button brittlebush is sparse. It is assumed that, like other desert Encelia, it depends on off-site seed rather than on-site sprouts for regeneration following fire [28].
Plant Response to Fire
No information was available on this topic as of 1993.
Fire Regimes
For fire regime information, search FEIS for this species by entering the species name on the Advanced Search page and selecting “Fire Regime” as the publication type.
Fire Management Considerations
The seeds of button brittlebush are well adapted to wind dispersal. White brittlebush will seed into burned-over areas, and it is assumed that button brittlebush will also. Areas of the desert important to the desert tortoise that have been burned could be seeded with button brittlebush for habitat improvement [28].
Federal Status
None
Other Status
None
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock
In arroyo habitats of southwestern Utah, button brittlebush is important to the desert tortoise as a source of succulent forage in periods of low moisture [15]. The seeds produced by brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), a species of the genus Encelia similar to button brittlebush, are eaten by birds and rodents [28].
Palatability and Nutritional Value
No entry.
Cover Value
In arroyo habitats with a high shrub density and rough topography, button brittlebush provides important habitat and environmental cover for the desert tortoise [15].
Value for Rehabilitation or Restoration of Disturbed Sites
Button brittlebush is an early colonizer of disturbed sites. Disturbances such as debris flows, borrow pit excavations, and drainage channels are colonized rapidly by button brittlebush [18,23]. The population of button brittlebush will increase in numbers with a corresponding increase in the level of disturbance. The population will decrease in numbers if longer-lived species increase in population numbers [23]. Button brittlebush is an occasional plant on disturbed sites in the Mercury Valley and Amargosa Valley of southern Nevada [27].
Other Uses
No entry.
Other Management Considerations
No entry.
Table A1— Forest and range ecosystems, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society for American Foresters (SAF) forest cover types, and Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) rangeland cover types in which this species occurs.
Forest and Range Ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977)
- FRES30 Desert shrub
- FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
BLM Physiographic Regions (Bernard and Brown 1977)
- 3 Southern Pacific Border
- 7 Lower Basin and Range
- 12 Colorado Plateau
Kuchler Plant Associations (Kuchler 1964)
- K039 Blackbrush
- K041 Creosotebush
- K042 Creosotebush – bursage
- K043 Paloverde - cactus shrub
- K046 Desert: vegetation largely lacking
- K058 Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
SAF Cover Types (Eyre 1980)
- 242 Mesquite
SRM Rangeland Cover Types (Shiflet 1994)
No entry.
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