Gutierrezia sarothrae

Gutierrezia sarothrae is a perennial subshrub that ranges from 20 to 100 centimetres (8 to 39+1⁄2 inches) in height. The stems are green to brown, bushy, and herbaceous, and branch upwards from a woody base.[3] The stems die back during dormancy, giving the plant its broom-like appearance.[3] They range from smooth to having some short hairs, and may be resinous and therefore sticky when touched.[4] As the stems are about the same length, this causes the plant to often appear domed or fan-shaped when flowering.[5] The leaves are alternate and linear, and 5 to 63 millimetres (1⁄4 to 2+1⁄2 in) long and 1 to 3 mm (1⁄16 to 1⁄8 in) wide.[4][6] The lower leaves are usually shed before the plant flowers.[5] During its first year of growth, the plant produces a long, woody taproot, and numerous lateral roots as the plant matures.[7]

Close-up of flower heads

Dense clusters of 3–7 small, yellow ray and 2–6 tiny disk flowers form in clusters, 3–6 mm (1⁄8–1⁄4 in) in length,[6] at the end of the stems from mid-July to September.[3][5][8] The flowers are pollinated by various insects, resulting in an oval fruit covered with chaffy scales.[3] The plant reproduces from seeds, which are light, densely hairy, and wind-dispersed.[3][7] A single plant is capable of producing over 9,000 seeds annually, although most ripe seeds fall beneath the parent plant.[7] Seeds can remain viable in the soil for several years; under laboratory conditions seeds have remained viable for at least two years.[7]

G. sarothrae is commonly confused with rabbitbrush, but can be distinguished by the presence of ray flowers, which rabbitbrush plants do not have.[3] It is also similar to littlehead snakeweed (G. microcephala), which has only 1–3 of both ray and disk flowers.[6]

The common name matchweed refers to the appearance of the stems and flower heads to matches, whereas broomweed refers to its use as a broom and snakeweed refers to its medicinal use to treat snakebites.[6] It has also been called 'turpentine weed' due to its odour.[6]

A native North American plant, G. sarothrae is found throughout west-central Canada (the Prairie Provinces, the western and central United States (the Great Plains and regions to the west), and northern Mexico as far south as Zacatecas and Baja California Sur.[9][10] Due to its efficient water use and drought tolerance, it is able to survive in arid and semi-arid sites, such as rocky plains, dry foothills, ridgetops, mountain slopes, and in semi-desert valleys.[3][7] The species is very adaptable, and can be found in a variety of ecoregions, including pinyon–juniper woodlands, desert shrublands, and sagebrush-grasslands.[7] It can survive in a wide variety of soil types with full sun and good drainage,[4] but growth is reportedly best in clay loams of alluvial slopes, and shallow, rocky, or sandy soil, and is poor in saline or alkaline soils.[7]

G. sarothrae is a poor quality browse for most large ungulates.[11] It is important to pronghorn antelope in some areas, especially during spring and summer, and can comprise up to 28% of the pronghorn antelope's diet.[4] The plant is of little value to cattle and horses, but can be a fair quality winter browse for domestic sheep when there is little access to green forage.[3]

Under natural conditions, G. sarothrae quickly invades disturbed areas, and can minimize soil erosion; for example, it is reportedly able to stabilize loose windblown soils in mesquite sand dunes.[12] It has been rated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as low to medium for erosion control potential, low for short-term revegetation potential, and low to medium for long-term revegetation potential.[13]

G. sarothrae can be toxic to domestic sheep, goats, and cattle when consumed in large quantities,[11] although domestic goats are moderately resistant to its effects.[18] Its toxicity is due primarily to saponins, which can cause illness, death, or abortion, as well as to alkaloids, terpenes, and flavonols in the plant.[19] The species is also a facultative absorber of selenium, which can cause illness or death in large amounts.[3][20] As little as 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of fresh G. sarothrae consumed by cattle in seven days can cause miscarriages, and in cattle, sheep, and goats consuming ten to 20% of their body weight in two weeks can cause death.[21] Toxicity is generally higher during periods of rapid growth, such as early leaf development, and when grown on sandy rather than on calcareous or clay soils.[11][21]

G. sarothrae was used by the Native Americans of the Great Plains for various reasons.[3][4][5] The Comanche bound the stems together to make brooms. The Blackfoot used the roots in an herbal steam as a treatment for respiratory ailments. A decoction of the plant was used by the Lakota to treat colds, coughs, and dizziness, while a concentrate made from the flowers was used by the Dakota as a laxative for horses. The Navajo rubbed the ashes of the plant on their bodies to treat headaches and dizziness, and also applied the chewed plant to wounds, snakebites, and areas swollen by insect bites and stings. The Zuni used an infusion of the blossoms as a diuretic and to "make one strong in the limbs and muscles",[22] and an infusion of the whole plant was used topically for muscle aches.[23]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gutierrezia sarothrae.

• Calflora Database: Gutierrezia sarothrae (Broom snakeweed, Matchweed)
• Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Gutierrezia sarothrae
• Gutierrezia at Southwest Colorado Wildflowers
• UC Photos gallery of Gutierrezia sarothrae