rubber rabbitbrush

noun

plural rubber rabbitbrushes

: a rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa synonym Chrysothamnus nauseosus) of western North America that typically grows in poor, dry soils and has flexible hairy stems and clusters of small yellow flowers

The way to distinguish rubber rabbitbrush is that the leaves and stems look gray since they are covered with fine hairs.

—Larry Hyslop

… rubber rabbitbrush … is a common shrub in the Columbia Basin and contains up to 6 percent natural rubber.

—Steve Link

Note: When crushed, the narrow leaves of the rubber rabbitbrush emit an odor that may be considered unpleasant.

called also chamisa, gray rabbitbrush

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above