Coleogyne ramosissima

Common Names

Blackbrush, Blackbush

Summary

Blackbrush is a densely branched, aromatic desert shrub native to the Mojave, Great Basin deserts and western Sonoran border, forming extensive, nearly pure stands on desert floors and scrubby slopes. It grows 0.3–1.2 m tall with spiny-tipped branches and gray bark that darkens with age or when wet; leaves are evergreen but drought-deciduous, opposite, simple, linear-oblanceolate, 5–15 mm long. Flowers in April–June have four yellowish sepals and no petals, with 20–40 stamens and a single pistil, and fruits are dry, red-brown achenes; flowering is triggered by heavy spring rains, and reproduction from seed is rare with seeds dispersed poorly.

In cultivation, Blackbrush tolerates dry, well-drained soils—sandy, gravelly, and rocky—prefers full sun and very low water use, grows slowly but is hardy and long-lived, and can be propagated by bare root, container, or seed. It forms dense thickets and is not typically forage for livestock, though wildlife browse occurs and the plant provides habitat and cover in arid landscape restoration contexts; restoration requires regionally matched seed sources and favorable moisture years, and the plant is used in desert restoration and as a hedge where appropriate.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

4 ft - 6 ft 7 in

Spread

3-5 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 5, 7-10

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun.

Soil Type

Dry, well-drained, sandy and rocky soils

Soil Drainage

Well-drained

Soil pH

7.00-8.50, Neutral

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Spring to Summer

Foliage Color

Gray-green

Fall Foliage Color

No fall foliage color

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Slow

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, root-suckering (vegetative reproduction via root shoots)

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds and other pollinators