Flower profile

Rubber rabbitbrush

Ericameria nauseosa

Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) is a shrub in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly August–October across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Rubber rabbitbrush is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 9 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in August–October.

18states where USDA records it

9Bloomipedia state lists include it

24,821U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

Quick look

Ericameria nauseosa, commonly known as chamisa, rubber rabbitbrush, and gray rabbitbrush, is a shrub in the sunflower family (Aster) found in the arid regions of western North America.
From Wikipedia's article Ericameria nauseosa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 18 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in August–October. ^iNaturalist
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in September–November. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 6,962 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #8 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,060 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #4 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,503 research-grade sightings of it in Oregon, ranking #64 among the 184 flowers on our Oregon list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,279 records)

Bloom time in the 9 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Colorado	Native	August–October	6,962
Utah	Native	September–November	3,060
Oregon	Native	August–October	2,503
New Mexico	Native	September–October	2,404
Nevada	Native	August–November	1,285
Idaho	Native	July–October	990
Wyoming	Native	few records (35)	490
South Dakota	Native	few records (9)	209
North Dakota	Native	few records (5)	71

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Colorado.
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Utah.
Oregon: Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oregon. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: S5, secure in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S5, secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Idaho.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Wyoming.
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: OK (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records rubber rabbitbrush in 18 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Alamosa, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Denver, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Fremont, Garfield, Grand, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Miguel, Washington, Weld.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

Oregon counties with USDA records: Baker, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Linn, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, Wheeler.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 364 counties across 17 states; the most are in Colorado (47), California (44), Montana (40).

Other Ericameria on Bloomipedia (1): Turpentine bush.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More Colorado flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: June–September

Dotted gayfeather

Liatris punctata

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: July–September

Musk thistle

Carduus nutans

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: June–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ERNA10.
iNaturalist, Ericameria nauseosa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Ericameria nauseosa (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
State rare and invasive plant lists (12):
Show all 12 state lists
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Ericameria nauseosa (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Vijay Barve via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.