Rush skeletonplant

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Rush skeleton plant habit

Rush skeletonplant

Rush skeleton plant

Rush skeletonplant

Rush skeletonplant stem galls

Rush skeletonplant

Rush skeleton plant head

Morphology

Stem

Erect, ascending, or nearly decumbent, stiff, much-branched from base, grayish green, ribbed, glabrous, waxy; sap yellowish.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, few, linear, usually less than 1 1/2 inch long; upper leaves scale-like, about 1/4 inch long; margins entire; tips pointed.

Inflorescence

Heads, solitary, terminal.

Flower

Bracts 5-7, linear; ray florets usually 5, pink to lavender, about 1/2 inch long; tips squared, 5-toothed; disk florets absent.

Fruit

Achenes, cylindric, about 1/3 inch long, tipped with numerous hair-like bristles, enclosing small seed.

Ecology

Habitat

Dry, open prairies, pastures, waste areas, and roadsides, most abundant in alkaline sites.

Distribution

West 2/3 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Plants will accumulate nitrates.

Forage Value

Rush skeletonplant is unpalatable to livestock due to bitterness.

Uses

Great Plains Indians used this plant to treat diarrhea, coughs, heartburn, and kidney ailments, as well as saddle sores on their horses. After childbirth, mothers drank a tea made from the plant to enhance lactation.

Additional Notes