San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush is one of the several subspecies of rubber rabbit-
brush that is resident in the San Gabriel Mts.  Munz's Flora of Southern California gives 20" as its maximum height, but in fact it can grow to around 5' tall, although in general it is a shorter shrub than the other subspecies.  It is densely leafy and has stems and young twigs covered with a white to gray felty tomentum.  The alternate, entire leaves are usually green, from 1/16" to 1/8" wide, and from 3/4" to 2" long.  The many heads are in terminal clusters with involucres about 1/2" high, and glabrous to hairy, sharply acuminate phyllaries and broadly hyaline margins.  The flowers are all discoid with yellow corollas up to 1/2" long and widely-spreading corolla lobes.  There are normally five flowers per head.  San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush prefers open dry areas from 6000' to 9500' in the Tehachapis, and the San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mts, and blooms typically from August to October.  These pictures were taken at various places along the Angeles Crest Highway.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Ericameria  2) nauseosa  3) bernardina.
Pronunciation: er-ik-a-MEER-ee-a naw-zee-OH-sa ber-nar-DEE-na.
Formerly Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.