Family: Asteraceae
An unusual, evergreen, conifer-like shrub (not a conifer at all but in the aster family) growing to about 4’ tall and a little bit wider, rare specimens are up to 9’ tall. Nectar-rich yellow flowers spring until June. The fruits are woody, bristly seeds with a pappus. This aromatic plant is covered in punctate glands. Rare in cultivation.
Full sun, moderate to low water with good drainage (not too much summer moisture), hardy to 20°F.
Photo by Matt Berger, iNaturalist
Peucephyllum schottii on SEINET
Peucephyllum schottii Gray has a long history of use by Native Americans for medicinal purposes. The plant was used in teas for various ailments including stomach aches, fevers, and headaches. It was also used as a compress to treat skin conditions such as rashes and blisters.
The genus, Peuccephyllum, is from the Greek peuke, pine or fir, and phyllon, leaf; the species, schottii, honors Arthur Carl Victor Schott (1814-1875), one of the naturalists of the Mexican Boundary Survey. Peucephyllum is a monotypic genus, there is only one species.
Found on rocky slopes, in various soils including granitics, limestones, sandstones, volcanics, in washes, and in creosote-bush scrub, below 4,500 ft. in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah; south into Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora).
Floral detail, photo by artemisiaxadderall on iNaturalist
Foliage detail, photo by Jim Boone, iNaturalist
A ripe pappus, photo by Fred Melgert / Carla Hoegen, iNaturalist
Typical shape of the plant, photo by Fred Melgert / Carla Hoegen, iNaturalist