Species: Purshia tridentata
Antelope Bitterbrush
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Anthophyta
Class
Dicotyledoneae
Order
Rosales
Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Purshia
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Bitterbrush - antelope bitterbrush
Informal Taxonomy
Plants, Vascular - Flowering Plants - Rose Family
Formal Taxonomy
Plantae - Anthophyta - Dicotyledoneae - Rosales - Rosaceae - Purshia - ) however lacks the characteristic 'sage' odour of Big Sagebrush.
Ecology and Life History
Short General Description
) on its roots, adding nitrogen to the soil when it grows. The plant also has an extremely long tap root for reaching moisture on arid lands, although shallow roots have been observed, they are not characteristic. Shrubs may require 10 years of growth to achieve flowering and very old plants are known at 90 -162 years in age. As suggested by its name, Antelope Bitterbrush is an important food plant for many herbivores, as well as rodents, lepidoptera and other insects.
Reproduction Comments
Small rodents cache fruits underground which protect the seeds until germination (West 1968).
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G3G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
2009-03-18
Global Status Last Changed
2009-03-18
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=S4&US.AZ=SNR&US.CA=SNR&US.CO=SNR&US.ID=SNR&US.MT=SNR&US.NE=SNR&US.NV=SNR&US.NM=SNR&US.OR=SNR&US.UT=SNR&US.WA=SNR&US.WY=S4" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
Antelope bitterbrush (<i>Purshia tridentata</i>) is a wide-ranging native shrub in western North America. It occurs from southern British Columbia, Canada; through to Washington and Oregon east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; southeast into Idaho and western Montana; towards the coast in the Klamath, North Coast, Cascade, Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, Transverse, Peninsular ranges and Great Basin/Desert Mountains floristic provinces of California; throughout the Rocky Mountains; in the Great Plains Basin; and into Arizona and New Mexico of the United States.