Coyote Bush or Brush, Chaparral-broom               BAK-ah-ris pi-lu-LA-ris

• Broadleaf evergreen shrub, mat-forming (B. p. var. pilularis), to about 2 ft (0.6 m) high with a width of 6 ft (1.8 m), another form (B. p. var. consanguinea) is erect, to 10 ft (3 m) tall.  Stems grooved and resinous.  Leaves simple, alternate, oblong-lanceolate to obovate, 1-5 cm long, apex acute to narrowly rounded, base wedge-shaped, margin with a few large or sinuate teeth or entire, somewhat leathery, 1-nerved, dotted with glands ("spots"), dark green to yellow green above, paler below.  Flowers dioecious - male and female on separate plants, in tight clusters of flower heads, male flowers yellowish, female flowers white.
• Sun, best on well-drained soil.    Drought resistant.  Used for erosion control on banks.  Can be mown or sheared each year to increase its density.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 8      Native along the coast from northern Oregon (B. p. var. consanguinea) to southern California, also found in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
• pilularis: with little white balls; reference unclear, small flower clusters?
• Oregon State Univ., Peavy Arboretum (Arboretum Road): just north of the road near the entrance to the Arboretum.