Woolly Bursage
Ambrosia eriocentra
Drawn from live specimen found in near Cave Creek, Maricopa County, Arizona.
Bursage Borer -- Hymenoclea palmii The caterpillar of this odd-looking moth may be found tunneling through the stems.
FRUIT: Typical bur-sage burr is densly woolly - shown enlarged at right.
SHRUB: A medium-sized shrub most always less than
1 meter. Young stems are hirsute, but older ones are light gray
with brown striations.
LEAVES: Coursely toothed leaves emit a very pungent odor when crushed.
RANGE: Upper Sonoran Desert in northern Maricopa and Yavapai Co.,
Arizona and hence westward into portions of the Mojave Desert of California,
Nevada and Utah. Scattered populations in Pinal & Gila Co., AZ.
FLOWERS: Greenish and in smallish heads on spikes. Many flowered male
heads above the 1-2 flowered female heads.
UNARMED.
Cattle generally avoid eating this plant
and it one that can become
abundant on overgrazed land. The
Ambrosia Leaf Beetle, however, feeds almost exclusively on this and
related Ambrosias.