Stats

Lifespan: 15-30 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate shrubland
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

A fast-growing riparian shrub native to the American Southwest and California that colonises stream banks and wash edges with willow-like leaves and fluffy white cottony seed heads that drift on the breeze. Its dense thickets are a critical nectar source for native bees and a favourite roost shrub for migrating monarch butterflies.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Baccharis
Species: Baccharis salicifolia