Button Brittlebush
Encelia frutescens
Family: Asteraceae
Green, sandpapery-leafed semi-evergreen shrub growing to about 3 feet high and about 4’ wide. Yellow ray-less flowers occur in the warm season.
Full sun, moderate to low water, good drainage, hardy to 5°F. May need to be pruned back once in a while for bushier growth.
The yellow, petal-less flowers are extremely nectar-rich and attract lots of butterflies and bees, blooming in the warm weather months.
Used as a seasoning and as a remedy for shingles.
Encelia is named for Christoph Entzelt (1517-1583) a German naturalist, while frutescens means shrubby. There are 22 species of Encelia found in arid environments in southwestern North America and western South America.
This plant frequently hybridizes with E. farinosa, especially in disturbed landscapes.
Found on stony slopes, along washes, on slopes and roadsides from sea level to 4,000 ft. in Arizona and all the neighboring states, south into Sonora and Baja California.
Especially in disturbed areas, hybrids like this occur (this is a hybrid between E. farinosa and E. frutescens), photo by birgitknorr on iNaturalist