Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

BROOM SNAKEWEED

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Gutierrezia sarothrae (Pursh ) Britton & Rusby

Kiowa County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 8-40 inches (usually less than 20 inches)

Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family

Flowering Period: August, September

Also Called:

Turpentine weed.

Stems:

Erect to ascending, several to many, bushy-branching from base, woody.

Leaves:

Alternate, simple, sessile, linear to nearly filiform, .5 to 2.5 inches long, less than 1/8 inch wide, midrib prominent; margins entire, sometimes rolling inward.

Inflorescences:

Numerous clusters of 2-5 heads, terminal; bracts narrow, green at tips and along mid-nerves.

Flowers:

Ray florets 3-8, less than 1/8 inch long, yellow; disk florets 2-6, yellow.

Fruits:

Achenes, short, finely hairy, brown, tipped with 8-10 pointed, whitish scales, enclosing small seed.

Habitat:

Dry, open prairies, uplands, disturbed rocky or barren sites, most abundant in sandy and clay loam soils.

Distribution:

West 1/2 of Kansas.

Toxicity:

Toxic to cattle and sheep. When consumed at particular times during pregnancy, it can cause abortions or weak calves and lambs.

Forage Value:

Broom snakeweed is unpalatable to livestock, and they will not consume it unless other forage is unavailable.

Uses:

Native Americans used broom snakeweed to treat colds, coughs, respiratory difficulties, snakebites, and insect stings.

Comments:

Forb or subshrub. Broom snakeweed often is observed in overgrazed pastures. The name "turpentine weed" alludes to the pine-like odor of crushed plants.

Broom snakeweed inflorescences