BROOM SNAKEWEED
File Size: 146 KB
 
Gutierrezia sarothrae   (Pursh ) Britton & Rusby
Kiowa County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 8-40 inches (usually less than 20 inches)
Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Flowering Period:   August, September
Also Called: Turpentine weed.
Stems: Erect to ascending, several to many, bushy-branching from base, woody.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, sessile, linear to nearly filiform, .5 to 2.5 inches long, less than 1/8 inch wide, midrib prominent; margins entire, sometimes rolling inward.
Inflorescences: Numerous clusters of 2-5 heads, terminal; bracts narrow, green at tips and along mid-nerves.
Flowers: Ray florets 3-8, less than 1/8 inch long, yellow; disk florets 2-6, yellow.
Fruits: Achenes, short, finely hairy, brown, tipped with 8-10 pointed, whitish scales, enclosing small seed.
Habitat: Dry, open prairies, uplands, disturbed rocky or barren sites, most abundant in sandy and clay loam soils.
Distribution: West 1/2 of Kansas.
Toxicity: Toxic to cattle and sheep. When consumed at particular times during pregnancy, it can cause abortions or weak calves and lambs.
Forage Value: Broom snakeweed is unpalatable to livestock, and they will not consume it unless other forage is unavailable.
Uses: Native Americans used broom snakeweed to treat colds, coughs, respiratory difficulties, snakebites, and insect stings.
Comments: Forb or subshrub. Broom snakeweed often is observed in overgrazed pastures. The name "turpentine weed" alludes to the pine-like odor of crushed plants.

Broom snakeweed inflorescences
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Broom snakeweed
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Broom snakeweed
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Russell County, Kansas
Broom snakeweed
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Kiowa County, Kansas
Broom snakeweed
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Broom snakeweed flowers
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Russell County, Kansas