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Encelia farinosa

Common name:	Brittle Bush	Family:	Compositae
Author:	Gray.	Botanical references:	71, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - California to Utah and Arizona.
Habitat:	Dry stony slopes to 1000 metres[71].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Brittle Bush [FEIS,DEN2], Brittlebush, Incienso [S], Goldenhills [P,B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	farinosa = mealy;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Mexico(Seri); Us(Indian)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 0.75m. It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in flower in May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

Gum.

A gum that exudes from the ends of mature stems is used for chewing[61, 161, 177]. It is aromatic[207].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic; Odontalgic.

A decoction of the blossoms, leaves and stems has been held in the mouth to alleviate a toothache[257]. A poultice of the plant has been used to alleviate pain[257].

Other Uses

Adhesive; Fuel; Incense; Resin; Varnish; Waterproofing.

A resin that exudes from the ends of mature stems is used as a glue and as an incense in the home and in church[61, 177, 181, 207, 257]. It has also been used to waterproof containers and has been melted then used as a varnish[257].
The resinous branches have been used to make a quick fire[257].

Cultivation details

Requires a very warm sunny position in a deep very well-drained soil[200, 260]. Plants strongly resent wet conditions, especially in the winter[200].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[200]. Another report says that the plants will tolerate temperatures down to -12°c if they are in quite dry conditions[260]. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K].
Plants have a taproot and resent root disturbance[200]. They should be planted out into their permanent positions whilst still small, though they will then need protection from the cold for their first winter or so[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed and pot up the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle[200]. Grow on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter, making sure the pots are deep enough to accommodate the tap root, and plant out in early summer.
Cuttings, in pure sand, in a frame[200]. The report does not specify the type of cutting.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for encelia farinosa (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[181] Pesman. M. W. Meet Flora Mexicana. Dale S. King. Arizona. 1962
Very readable flora but rather lacking botanically. A few notes on useful plants.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.