The Flora of Mount Shasta Bitterbrush Rose Family (Rosaceae) Purshia tridentata

Growth Form: An erect, much branched shrub

Flower: Yellow, 5 petals, small

Blooms: May to July

Leaves: Wedge shaped, apex of 3 teeth or lobes, margins rolled under; mostly deciduous

Fruit: Leathery, hairy, tapering achene

Stem: Silvery-gray to brown

Height: 2 to 10 feet

Found: Dry well-drained, arid slopes, flats, valleys of Great Basin, Klamath, Cascade, Sierra Nevada mountains and foothills.

Tidbits: Wildlife biologists consider Bitterbrush to be one of the most important browse plants for deer and antelope. Old plants become quite impalatable and flammable.