Spearleaf Brickellbush

All three varieties of Brickellia atractyloides often intergrade and are not readily distinguished in some cases.

Shrubs, 20–50 cm. Stems densely branched, glandular-puberulent. Leaves opposite or alternate; petioles 0–3 mm; blades 3–4-nerved from bases (veins prominent), deltate, lanceolate, or ovate, 10–50 × 5–25 mm, bases acute to truncate or cordate, margins usually sharply dentate or dentate-serrate, rarely entire, apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous or strigose and minutely glandular-puberulent. Heads in open, paniculiform arrays. Peduncles 10–70 mm, hispid to hispidulous and stipitate-glandular. Involucres cylindric to broadly campanulate, 9–15 mm. Phyllaries 24–33 in 3–4 series, green, 3–16-striate, subequal or unequal, margins narrowly scarious (apices acute to acuminate); outer (often bright green, 4–16-striate) lance-linear, linear-ovate, or broadly ovate, inner (pale green, 3–4-striate) linear or narrowly lanceolate (often chartaceous, scabrellous, often glandular). Florets 40–90; corollas pale yellow-green or cream, often purple-tinged, 6–8 mm. Cypselae 3–5.5 mm, scabrellous; pappi of 18–25 smooth or barbellulate bristles.

Brickellia atractyloides is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name spearleaf brickellbush. It is native to the desert regions of the southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah) and northwestern Mexico (Sonora, Baja California).

Brickellia atractyloides is a shrub up to 50 cm (20 inches) tall. It produces many small flower heads with cream-colored or pale green disc florets but no ray florets.

Varieties Brickellia atractyloides var. atractyloides - Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah Brickellia atractyloides var. odontolepis (B.L.Rob.) Jeps. - California, Baja California, Sonora

Flora of North America lists a third variety, var. arguta, listed here as a distinct species, Brickellia arguta, as accepted by The Plant List.