Shrub · Asteraceae

Rubber rabbitbrush

Ericameria nauseosa · includes its varieties and subspecies

Rubber rabbitbrush is recorded as native to 17 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 364 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Rubber rabbitbrush at a glance

Native in: 364 counties, across 17 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b PLANTS minimum temperature −38°F
Mature height: 4 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Full sun (shade-intolerant) Medium water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 3b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −38°F; zone 3b winters bottom out at −35°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 364 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Arizona 11 counties
California 44 counties
Colorado 47 counties
Idaho 37 counties
Kansas 3 counties
Montana 40 counties
Nebraska 3 counties
Nevada 17 counties
New Mexico 28 counties
North Dakota 18 counties
Oklahoma 1 county
Oregon 24 counties
South Dakota 14 counties
Texas 5 counties
Utah 29 counties
Washington 20 counties
Wyoming 23 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record of a variety (ERNAN5). “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Shrub, Subshrub
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 4 ft
Growth rate: Slow
Growth form: Multiple Stem
Shape: Rounded
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intolerant (full sun (shade-intolerant))
Moisture use: Medium water use
Drought tolerance: High
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: None
Precipitation range: 6 to 20 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse, medium and fine
pH range: 7.5 to 8.7
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Medium
Salinity tolerance: Medium
Fertility requirement: Low
Minimum root depth: 20 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −38°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 150
Fire tolerance: Low

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Yellow
Showy flowers: Yes
Bloom period: Late Summer
Foliage color: White-Gray
Showy in fall: No
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: White

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Routinely Available
Family: Asteraceae
PLANTS symbol: ERNA10

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Ericameria nauseosa (PLANTS symbol ERNA10), including 3 varieties and subspecies folded into the species.
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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