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Littleleaf Horsebrush

Tetradymia glabrata Torr. & A. Gray

Description

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Shrubs, 20–120 cm. Stems 1–3+, erect, unarmed, pannose but for glabrescent streaks. Leaves: primaries linear-subulate, ascending to appressed, 5–20 (× 1+) mm, sparsely floccose, sometimes glabrate; secondaries linear-filiform to clavate, 3–15 mm, glabrous. Heads 3–7. Peduncles 3–15 mm. Involucres turbinate, 7–10 mm. Phyllaries 4, lanceolate to obovate. Florets 4; corollas cream to yellow, 9–10 mm. Cypselae 2.5–3.5 mm, hirsute; pappi of 100–130 bristles 6–8 mm. 2n = 60, 62, 120, 180.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
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Flora of North America Vol. 20: 630, 631 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Common Names

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littleleaf horsebrush
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Description

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More info for the terms: achene, fruit, pappus, perfect, shrub

Littleleaf horsebrush is a native subshrub or shrub with semiwoody to woody stem texture [30]. Plants are 1 to 4 feet (0.3-1.2 m) tall, at least as wide, and densely branched. It is considered 1 of the unarmed horsebrushes, but primary leaves (the 1st leaves to appear at the node) may be weakly spinescent. They are 0.2 to 0.4 inch (0.6-1 cm) long. Secondary leaves grow in the leaf axils of primary leaves and are about the same length. The flower is a corymb with tubular, perfect flowers [14,36,38,61]. The fruit is a 3- to 8-mm long, hairy achene with a many-bristled pappus [26,61]. Horsebrushes (Tetradymia spp.) are taprooted [34]. Littleleaf horsebrush's roots are shallow (< 8.2 feet (2.5 m)) [24].

Littleleaf horsebrush may form small colonies [52]. Littleleaf horsebrush-dominated communities are generally taller, and have greater amounts of bare ground, compared to surrounding desert shrub communities [18].

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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Distribution

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Littleleaf horsebrush occurs from north-central Oregon to Idaho and south to Utah, Nevada, and southern California [14,30]. It is most common in the central Great Basin [29]. Plants Database provides a distributional map of littleleaf horsebrush.
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Fire Ecology

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More info for the terms: cover, fire regime, root crown, seed, severity, shrub

Fire adaptations: Horsebrushes are "slightly damaged by fire" [46]: top-growth is removed. Littleleaf horsebrush is dormant in summer and fall, so fires in those seasons have almost no effect on established plants [42,43]. When top-killed by fire, littleleaf horsebrush establishes by sprouting from the root crown [3,9,40,56,63]. Postfire establishment from seed has not been documented for little horsebrush.

FIRE REGIMES: Fires in the desert shrub and steppe ecosystems in which gray horsebrush occurs were historically stand-replacing surface fires. Fires in the pinyon-juniper types were of mixed severity [41]. Fires seldom occur in plant communities dominated by littleleaf horsebrush; the communities show more bare ground cover than plant cover [4,5,18] and seldom have enough fuels to carry fire [63,64].

The following table provides some fire return intervals for plant communities where littleleaf horsebrush is a common component of the vegetation. Find further fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

Community or Ecosystem Dominant Species Fire Return Interval Range (years) sagebrush steppe Artemisia tridentata/Pseudoroegneria spicata 20-70 [41] basin big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata 12-43 [46] mountain big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana 15-40 [1,11,36] Wyoming big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. wyomingensis 10-70 (40**) [59,65] saltbush-greasewood Atriplex confertifolia-Sarcobatus vermiculatus cheatgrass Bromus tectorum western juniper Juniperus occidentalis 20-70  Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum pinyon-juniper Pinus-Juniperus spp. 41] Colorado pinyon Pinus edulis 10-400+ [19,23,31,41] **mean
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Fire Management Considerations

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More info for the term: shrubs

Fire exclusion on desert steppes has tended to favor sagebrush species over fire-tolerant shrubs such as horsebrush [12,25,27,65]. Increased fire frequencies due to invasion of cheatgrass, red brome (Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens), and other annual grasses may favor littleleaf horsebrush over sagebrushes.
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Growth Form (according to Raunkiær Life-form classification)

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

RAUNKIAER [44] LIFE FORM:
Phanerophyte
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Habitat characteristics

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More info for the terms: cover, litter

Littleleaf horsebrush grows on dry, open valleys, plains, and foothills. It is generally common up to 5,900 (1,800) feet elevation, and is occasionally found at 7,500+ feet (2,300 m) elevation [14]. Elevational range by state is as follows:

CA 2,600-7,900 feet (800-2,400 m) [26] NV 2,300-6,800 feet [4,5] UT 4,500 -6,300 feet (1,370-1,925 m) [61]

Littleleaf horsebrush occurs on skeletal, sand, fine-loam, and clay soils in the Great Basin [4,5,6,18,49]. The soils are often saline or alkaline. They may be shallow to deep, and sometimes have durapans [49]. Bare ground or desert pavement may account for considerable (10-45%) cover on some sites [4,5,18], and litter cover may be scant. Litter cover in big sagebrush and shadscale communities with a littleleaf horsebrush component ranged from 10 to 30% in west-central Nevada [4,5].

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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Habitat: Cover Types

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the term: cover

SAF COVER TYPES [17]:




220 Rocky Mountain juniper

238 Western juniper
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Habitat: Ecosystem

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

ECOSYSTEMS [22]:




FRES29 Sagebrush

FRES30 Desert shrub

FRES35 Pinyon-juniper

FRES40 Desert grasslands
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Habitat: Plant Associations

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: woodland

KUCHLER [33] PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:




K023 Juniper-pinyon woodland

K024 Juniper steppe woodland

K038 Great Basin sagebrush

K040 Saltbush-greasewood

K055 Sagebrush steppe
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Habitat: Rangeland Cover Types

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This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the terms: cover, shrub, woodland

SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES [48]:




104 Antelope bitterbrush-bluebunch wheatgrass

105 Antelope bitterbrush-Idaho fescue

107 Western juniper/big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass

314 Big sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass

315 Big sagebrush-Idaho fescue

316 Big sagebrush-rough fescue

317 Bitterbrush-bluebunch wheatgrass

318 Bitterbrush-Idaho fescue

319 Bitterbrush-rough fescue

320 Black sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass 

321 Black sagebrush-Idaho fescue

401 Basin big sagebrush

402 Mountain big sagebrush

403 Wyoming big sagebrush

405 Black sagebrush 

412 Juniper-pinyon woodland

414 Salt desert shrub

501 Saltbush-greasewood

504 Juniper-pinyon pine woodland
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Immediate Effect of Fire

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Fire top-kills littleleaf horsebrush. Horsebrush species are rarely killed by fire [42,43].
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Importance to Livestock and Wildlife

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More info for the terms: cover, shrubs

Palatability/nutritional value: Littleleaf horsebrush is toxic, and it is not palatable to wildlife and livestock [20,35]. Browse palatability is rated poor for cattle and horses and fair for domestic sheep in Utah [15].

Littleleaf horsebrush is the most poisonous of the horsebrushes [20,51], containing compounds (furanoeremophilanes and resins) that cause liver damage in domestic sheep. Photosensitization also occurs in domestic sheep when black sagebrush (Artemisia nova) and littleleaf horsebrush are consumed together [39,47,51,58]. The 2 shrubs seem to synergistically increase sheep sensitivity to the toxins [29,58]. Poisoning occurs when ingestion reaches 0.5 pound (225 g) of browse or 0.5% of the sheep's weight [32,55], and may result in abortion or death. Domestic sheep consumption of littleleaf horsebrush is limited, but they may utilize littleleaf  horsebrush heavily when other forage is scarce. All parts of littleleaf horsebrush are toxic to domestic sheep, but young twigs and buds are generally the most palatable. Because littleleaf horsebrush usually greens up before most associated species, sheep may browse new shoots heavily when turned out onto the range too early [29,47]. There was regional variation in the toxicity of littleleaf horsebrush in Utah [28]. Toxicity is largely gone after plants flower [51]. Cattle are not affected by the toxins [20,32], but seldom browse littleleaf horsebrush [20]. 

Little information is available on nutritional content of littleleaf horsebrush. It is rated poor in protein and energy value [15].

Cover value: No information

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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Key Plant Community Associations

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More info for the terms: constancy, shrub, tree

Littleleaf horsebrush is common throughout the Great Basin, but never occurs in
pure stands. It usually occurs as isolated individuals or small colonies [38]. Littleleaf horsebrush showed 100% constancy in a spiny
hopsage-green rabbitbrush/cheatgrass (Grayia spinosa-Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus/Bromus tectorum) community in
north-central Nevada [4], and 50% constancy in big sagebrush (Artemisia
tridentata)/cheatgrass and big sagebrush-spiny hopsage communities in west-central Nevada
[5]. In the Great Basin it occurs in shadscale (Atriplex
confertifolia), black greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus), big
sagebrush, sagebrush-rabbitbrush (Artemisia-Chrysothamnus spp.), and pinyon-juniper (Pinus-Juniperus
spp.) communities [5,6,38,61,62]. Antelope bitterbrush (Purshia
tridentata), Nevada
ephedra (Ephedra nevadensis), winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), gray horsebrush, and rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus
spp.) are common shrub associates. Cheatgrass, Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum
hymenoides), and galleta (Pleuraphis spp.) are common grass associates
[6,18,62]. In California, littleleaf horsebrush occurs in
pinyon-juniper, sagebrush,
greasewood-shadscale, and
Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) communities [10,26].



Plant communities dominated by littleleaf horsebrush are rare. Blackburn and others
[5] describe a littleleaf horsebrush/cheatgrass community
in west-central Nevada, and Fautin [18] describes a littleleaf
horsebrush-shadscale community in western Utah.
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Life Form

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More info for the term: shrub

Shrub
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Management considerations

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Eradication of littleleaf horsebrush is not practical or ecologically desirable
[35,54]. The best way to prevent domestic sheep losses is
to turn animals onto the range after early spring, when other forage has begun
growth [54].
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Occurrence in North America

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CA ID NV OR UT
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Other uses and values

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No information
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Phenology

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Littleleaf horsebrush leafs out around snowmelt, when most plants are still dormant. Leaf-out and stem elongation occur in February in southern portions of the Great Basin [32,38], and in spring in colder areas [20]. Flowering begins in April in the Mojave Desert and as late as mid-June in Idaho [14,35,38]. Colonies usually have synchronous flowering. Failure to flower or develop seed is apparently triggered by low rainfall. In very dry years, some individuals -- or entire colonies -- may not flower, or will flower and not set seed [52]. Littleleaf horsebrush is drought deciduous, shedding the secondary leaves 1st [24,52]. Leaves are dying by mid-summer and shed by late summer [20,38]. New leaves and shoots may grow in wet summers [38]. More often, plants are dormant from summer until late winter or early spring [54].
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Plant Response to Fire

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More info for the terms: root crown, seed, top-kill

Littleleaf horsebrush sprouts from the root crown after top-kill by fire [3,9,40,56,63]. Further research is needed littleleaf horsebrush's ability to establish from seed.

Littleleaf horsebrush was present on a southeastern Oregon big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass community before a prescribed summer fire. It was present 2 years after the fire [13]. Method of postfire regeneration was not mentioned.

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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Post-fire Regeneration

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More info for the terms: adventitious, shrub

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [50]:
Small shrub, adventitious bud/root crown
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Regeneration Processes

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More info for the term: seed

Littleleaf horsebrush regenerates from seed and by sprouting [3,40,52,63]. Information on breeding, seed production, viability, and dispersal, and seed banking is scant for littleleaf and other horsebrushes. Further research is needed on the reproductive ecology of this genus.

Pollination: Horsebrushes are pollinated by insect generalists including flies, moths, bees, and beetles [36].

Seed dispersal: Horsebrush seeds are wind dispersed [64]. The hairs on the achenes and pappi aid dispersal [21].

Seedling establishment/growth: Horsebrush seedlings are somewhat rare, probably due to harsh, dry environments [52]. Littleleaf horsebrush may establish well from seed in years when favorable precipitation arrives at the right time; however, this has not been documented.

Asexual regeneration: Littleleaf horsebrush sprouts from the root crown after top-growth removal by fire or other means [3,40,63].

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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Regional Distribution in the Western United States

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS [2]:




4 Sierra Mountains

5 Columbia Plateau

6 Upper Basin and Range

7 Lower Basin and Range
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Successional Status

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Littleleaf horsebrush is a weedy, seral species [30]. After fire or other disturbance in the Great Basin, littleleaf horsebrush and other sprouting shrubs form a seral community that is eventually displaced by nonsprouting shrubs such as sagebrush and saltbush (Atriplex spp.) [53]. Evans and Young [16] state that littleleaf horsebrush and other sprouting shrubs dominate during a long successional period after fire in pristine big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata) communities of the Great Basin.

Littleleaf horsebrush may be expected to increase with grazing due to its unpalatability. However, data are lacking to support this, and further research is needed to determine the species' response to grazing disturbance. Littleleaf horsebrush increased 64% after 30 years' cessation of cattle grazing in a Nevada big sagebrush/Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda) community [45].

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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Taxonomy

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The scientific name of littleleaf horsebrush is Tetradymia glabrata Torr. &
Gray (Asteraceae) [14,26,30,60,61]. Putative littleleaf × gray horsebrush (T. canescens) hybrids have been found in southern
Idaho [52].
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Value for rehabilitation of disturbed sites

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More info for the term: cover

Horsebrushes provide critically needed ground cover and protection from erosion on dry sites that are otherwise often sparsely vegetated [35].
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Howard, Janet L. 2002. Tetradymia glabrata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/tetgla/all.html

Tetradymia glabrata

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Tetradymia glabrata is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name littleleaf horsebrush.[1] It is native to the western United States, especially the Great Basin and Mojave Desert. Its habitat includes sagebrush, woodlands, and scrub. It is an erect, bushy shrub growing to a maximum height over one meter, its stems coated unevenly in white woolly fibers with many bare strips. The narrow, pointed leaves are usually no more than a centimeter long and most occur in clusters along the branches. The inflorescence bears up to seven flower heads which are each enveloped in four woolly phyllaries. Each head contains four yellow cream flowers each around a centimeter long. The fruit is a hairy, ribbed achene with a pappus of bristles.

This species is the most toxic of the horsebrushes; it and spineless horsebrush (Tetradymia canescens) commonly cause illness and mortality in sheep due to the presence of furanoeremophilanes and other substances.[2] It is especially toxic when consumed along with the black sagebrush (Artemisia nova).[2]

References

  1. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Tetradymia glabrata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b US Forest Service Fire Ecology

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Tetradymia glabrata: Brief Summary

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Tetradymia glabrata is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name littleleaf horsebrush. It is native to the western United States, especially the Great Basin and Mojave Desert. Its habitat includes sagebrush, woodlands, and scrub. It is an erect, bushy shrub growing to a maximum height over one meter, its stems coated unevenly in white woolly fibers with many bare strips. The narrow, pointed leaves are usually no more than a centimeter long and most occur in clusters along the branches. The inflorescence bears up to seven flower heads which are each enveloped in four woolly phyllaries. Each head contains four yellow cream flowers each around a centimeter long. The fruit is a hairy, ribbed achene with a pappus of bristles.

This species is the most toxic of the horsebrushes; it and spineless horsebrush (Tetradymia canescens) commonly cause illness and mortality in sheep due to the presence of furanoeremophilanes and other substances. It is especially toxic when consumed along with the black sagebrush (Artemisia nova).

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