Purshia tridentata
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 Antelope bitterbrush in Craters of the Moon National Monument
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| Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC. |
Purshia tridentata is a nitrogen fixing shrub in the genus Purshia, 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 700-3400 m above sea level (Jepson), but lower further north, at 320-1065 m in 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.
It is a low, deciduous shrub growing to a height of 1-5 m, with slender three- to five-lobed leaves 5 to 20 mm long. The flowers are pale yellow, with five petals 6-8 mm long, and darker yellow anthers. The fruit is a cluster of dry, slender, leathery achenes 0.6-2 cm long.
