brittlebush

[brit-l-boosh]

noun

1. any of several composite plants of the genus Encelia, of desert regions of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, having alternate leaves and yellow ray flowers with a yellow or purple center.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brittlebush¹

1905–10, brittle + bush ¹, so called from the texture of its leaves

Example Sentences

At Anza Borrego Desert State Park, brittlebush and other species of desert shrubs have bloomed, and the colorful Montezuma Grade is expected to appear when there’s more warm weather.

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As we made our way up the canyon, Castro showed us brittlebush, whose sap “was used to alleviate toothaches,” and desert lavender.

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Other recent blooms include a native grass called needle grama, brittle creosote, desert senna, Acton encelia or brittlebush, and big galleta grass.

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There were flowers that sound like Harry Potter creatures — bladder pod, brittlebush, lupine — on the coast, and gifts from the occult — desert star, ghost flowers, phacelia — farther inland.

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There’s nothing inevitable about either nature or language, a brittlebush’s life or mine.

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