Baccharis pilularis DC.                                                                         =Baccharis pilularis ssp. consanguinea                 Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)                        Native   Coyote Brush     Chaparral Broom

                              August Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Dioecious, much-branched erect or rounded shrub 1-4 m. high; lvs. very numerous, oval or obovate, 1.5-4 cm. long, 5-15 mm. wide, usually with 5-9 teeth, resinous, 1-nerved; heads numerous, in small axillary and terminal glomerules on the leafy branchlets; invol. 3-5 mm. high, ca. 5-seriate; phyllaries ovate (outer) to lance-oblong (inner), obtuse, stramineous (straw colored), scurfy-glandular, indurate, with narrow scarious fimbrillate margin; ripe aks. 1.3-1.5 mm. long, glabrous, 10 nerved, the pappus 6-10 mm. long, staminate heads with scanty clavellate bristles, pistillate heads with a copious capillary bristles.

Habitat:  Hillsides and canyons below 2500 ft.; Coastal Strand, Coastal Sage Scrub; along the coast inland to Fallbrook, etc.; San Diego Co. to Ore.; Santa Catalina, San Clemente, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa Ids.  Aug-Dec.

Name:  Greek, bakkaris, a name given to a plant with a fragrant root.  Stearn suggests it was named in honor of Bacchus, the god of wine.  Linnaeus recycled the name. Pilularis mean "having globules", referring either to galls on the stem or the flower buds.  Consanguinea means "related by blood".  (Dale 53).

General:  Uncommon in the study area.  First found in the Santa Ana Heights flats and later in a draw near the burn area at Eastbluff and in Big Canyon.  Photos from both areas. (my comments).       The Chumash Indians, whose tribes inhabited the Santa Barbara area, used B. pilularis, Rhamnus californica, or Artemisia douglasiana to make a tea to soothe poison oak rash.  (Timbrook, J. "Virtuous Herbs: Plants in Chumash Medicine".  Journal of Ethnobiology, Winter 1987, 171-180).       Subspecies consanguinea not recognized in the new Jepson Manual.  (Hickman, Ed. 210, 1326).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 210, 1326; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 125; Roberts 9.

Photo Ref:  Oct-Nov 83 # 13,14; Aug 1 84 # 21; Nov-Dec 89 # 22.

Identity: R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.  

First Found:  October 1983.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 150

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 7/14/05.  

                                       September Photo                                                         October Photo