Plant Name
Scientific Name: Hymenoclea salsola
Common Names: Burrobrush, Burro Brush, Cheeseweed
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial, Drought-deciduous
Growth Habit: Subshrub
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert
Flower Color: Inconspicuous (whitish)
Flowering Season: Spring
Height: To 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, but usually less
Description: The inconspicuous flowers are only 3/8 inch (10 mm) wide and are followed by flower-like fruits with 5 shiny, cream-colored wings. The leaves are dark green, slender, and thread-like. The plants are straggly and rounded with numerous, slender branches. The crushed foliage smells like cheese.
Special Characteristics
Allergenic – The flower pollen is a moderate allergen.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus: Hymenoclea Torr. & A. Gray ex A. Gray – burrobrush
Species: Hymenoclea salsola Torr. & A. Gray – burrobrush
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