Large shrub, evergreen upright to 10’ high. Each clump can spread about 15’ wide, but these plants sucker by rhizomes, and run like a bamboo spreading almost indefinitely. Easily controlled if you don’t want it to grow in any particular area—just tug up the new stems as they emerge. They also tend to spread in moist soil, so their growth can be controlled by where their watering occurs. Great screen plant. Purple to lavender nectar-rich flowers most heavily bloom February through May, though they can flush out any time of year.

Grow in full sun to shade, moderate to regular water, though they can tolerate periods of drought once established. These plants are hardy to about 20° F.

Found on floodplains, stream banks and along dunes and sand flats from below 3,000 ft. in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, on the borderlands of the US and Mexico, and dipping farther down into Baja California.

The flowers are used by numerous native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and more. The cottony seed heads are used by birds for nesting. Larval host for some moth species. Seeds are eaten by granivorous birds. The plant makes a great habitat for all sorts of wildlife due to its colonizing nature.