Plant Data Sheet
Species (common name, Latin
name)
Coyote
bush, coyote brush, baccharis, chaparral broom, dwarf
baccharis
Baccharis pilularis
Range
Coyote bush
occurs in the outer Coast Ranges from northern
Climate, elevation
Coastal
populations of the prostrate form of coyote bush experience moderate
temperatures with summer fog, seaspray, and heavy
onshore winds. Annual precipitation ranges from 9.8 to 17.7 inches (250-450
mm), with most falling between November and April. Inland populations, which
occur up to 2,460 feet (750 m) (occasionally up to 4,920 feet (1500 m)), are
exposed to colder winters and hotter summers. Annual precipitation in these
habitats ranges from 12 to 30 inches (305-762 mm). 2
Elevation
ranges from 0 to 2461 ft (0 to 750 m), but sometimes reaches 4921 ft (1500 m).
The
Local occurrence (where, how common)
Coyote
brush is known in
Habitat preferences
Coyote
brush can be found on sea cliffs and bluffs as well as sand dunes and thickets
along the coast. It prefers open, dry sites and resides in dry forest and shrub
habitats. In
Plant strategy type/successional stage (stress-tolerator, competitor, weedy/colonizer, seral, late successional)
Coyote bush
is a shade-intolerant species. Along with other small-seeded coastal sage
shrubs, it colonizes actively eroding or alluviating
areas such as dunes and gravel bars. Exposed mineral soil gives coyote bush an
advantage over perennial grasses and chaparral shrubs. Coyote bush's
successional status varies with habitat type. In
Associated species
Common
associates include sitka spruce (Picea
sitchensis), salmon berry (Rubus
spectabilis), sword fern (Polystichum
munitum) salal (Gaultheria
shallon), pacific reed grass (Calamagrostis
nutkaensis), red fescue (Festuca
rubra), brome fescue (Vulpia
bromoides), velvet grass (Holcus
lanatus), stone-crop (Sedum spathulifolium), and oceanbluff
bluegrass (Poa unilateralis),
American dunegrass (Leymus
mollis), velvet grass (Holcus
lanatus), lodgepole
pine (Pinus contorta
ssp. contorta),
European beachgrass (Ammophila
arenaria), sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum),
and red alder (Alnus rubra).
1,2
May be collected as: (seed, layered, divisions, etc.)
Seed.
2
Collection restrictions or
guidelines
Seed can be
collected with a cloth and is best if dried in a warm ventilated room or in sun
without wind. Sometimes the pappus is removed before
planting. In nurseries, seeds are sown in fall or early spring using sandy soil
or a vermiculite, perlite, and sphagnum moss mix.
2
Seed germination (needs
dormancy breaking?)
Coyote bush
seed germinates well on mineral soil and has no stratification or temperature
requirement. 2
Seed life (can be stored,
short shelf-life, long shelf-life)
Seed may be
stored. 2
Recommended seed storage
conditions
After
drying, seed can be stored in a sealed refrigerated container. 2
Propagation recommendations
(plant seeds, vegetative parts, cuttings, etc.)
It can be
established from seed or bare root plantings. 2
Soil or medium requirements (inoculum necessary?)
Coyote bush
occurs on a range of soil types but is best adapted to medium- to
coarse-textured soils. 2
Installation form (form,
potential for successful outcomes, cost)
Restoration
projects where coyote bush is planted from containers are most successful
in the long term if a sex ratio of 1:5 (males to females) is used. Cost is relatively inexpensive. 2
Recommended planting density
Root growth
rates are very fast (average of 10 times faster than shoot growth) so plants
should be planted fairly spread apart.2
Care requirements after
installed (water weekly, water once etc.)
Does not
require much water, but regular watering will increase its resistance to fire.
2
Normal rate of growth or
spread; lifespan
Coyote bush
seed is generally dispersed from October to January. Germination occurs after
late fall or early winter rains. Coyote
bush growth is slow until about March, when root and shoot growth rates
increase with warmer temperatures and spring rains. Growth slows with declining
soil moisture in late May. Plants flower from July to October, and fruit ripens
from September to November. Rains in September typically allow a high
rate of leaf addition. Seasonal development is slightly later in inland than in
coastal populations. 2
Sources cited
1Hansen, W. Native Plants of the Northwest. http://www.nwplants.com.
May 10, 2006
2
Data compiled by (student name and date)
Patrick
Keegan, May 10, 2006