Baccharis is a genus of perennials and shrubs in the aster family (Asteraceae)

They are commonly known as baccharises but sometimes referred to as “brooms”, because many members have small thin leaves resembling the true brooms. They are not at all related to these however, but belong to an entirely different lineage of eudicots. B. halimifolia is commonly known as “groundsel bush”, however true groundsels are found in the genus Senecio.

• Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607

Baccharis, with over 500 species, is the largest genus in the Asteraceae. It is found throughout the Americas, distributed mainly in the warmer regions of Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Mexico, with B. halimifolia ranging northward along the Atlantic Coast to the southern tip of Nova Scotia in Canada.

• Senecio, formerly considered the largest genus of the family, is now divided into a number of genera, each with fewer species than Baccharis.
• http://www.arkat-usa.org/get-file/19602/ Baccharis (Compositae) – Maria José Abad* and Paulina Bermejo
• “Species at Risk Conservation Fund 2009 Approved Projects”. Nova Scotia Canada Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 October 2011.

If present, the leaves of Baccharis are borne along the stems in alternate fashion. Flowers are usually white or pinkish. There are no ray flowers, but many disk flowers which are either staminate or pistillate.

Some species of Baccharis are toxic to animals; in particular, consumption of B. coridifolia may lead to necrosis in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle, horses, sheep, and rabbits.

The genus Baccharis is named after Bacchus (Dionysus), the Roman god of wine.

• “Baccharis Linnaeus”. Flora of North America.

Classification

Baccharis is related to the genera Archibaccharis and Heterothalamus. All baccharis are dioecious except Baccharis monoica.

1. “Baccharis Linnaeus”. Flora of North America.
2. Fernandes, Geraldo Wilson; Santos, Jean Carlos (2014-06-26). Neotropical Insect Galls. Springer. p. 195. ISBN 978-94-017-8783-3.

Ecology

Baccharis are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, such as the swift moths Phymatopus californicus and P. hectoides. Those of the leaf-miner moths Bucculatrix dominatrix and B. seperabilis feed exclusively on bush baccharis (B. pilularis), B. ivella has been found on eastern baccharis, and B. variabilis is a polyphagous species which has been recorded on various Baccharis. The Coleophora case-bearers C. linosyridella and C. viscidiflorella are polyphagous species whose larvae have been recorded on the Bush Baccharis as well as other plants. Caterpillars of the owlet moth Schinia ocularis feed exclusively on Broom Baccharis (B. sarothroides).

Uses

Several species of Baccharis are of interest for cultivation, as the dense but flexible stem structure makes for a good windbreak.

Plants of this genus are rich in terpenes, and some are used in native or folk medicine. One that has been specifically described from Chilean and Argentinean Baccharis is viscidone.

Wikipedia does not have a viscidone page at this time so there is just this: 3-Hydroxyacetophenone is a chemical compound. It is a component of castoreum, the exudate from the castor sacs of the mature beaver. Related compounds: Humans excrete small amounts of conjugated 2-amino-3-hydroxyacetophenone, a product of tryptophan metabolism, in the urine. Another plant, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus contains an unusual m-hydroxyacetophenone derivative, named viscidone, and chromanone derivatives. See also 4-Hydroxyacetophenone. That’s interesting because clicking on that redirects to Piceol which is a phenolic compound found in the needles and in mycorrhizal roots of Norway spruces (Picea abies). Picein is the glucoside of piceol. Piceol is used in the synthesis of several pharmaceutical drugs including octopamine, sotalol, bamethan, and dyclonine.^{[citation needed]}. (Octopamine is often considered the major “fight-or-flight” neurohormone of invertebrates. Its name is derived from the fact that it was first identified in the salivary glands of the octopus. Sotalol, sold under the brand name Betapace among others, is a medication used to treat and prevent abnormal heart rhythms. It is only recommended in those with significant abnormal heart rhythms due to potentially serious side effects. Dyclonine (Dyclocaine) is an oral anaesthetic that is the active ingredient of Sucrets, an over-the-counter throat lozenge. It is also found in some varieties of the Cepacol sore throat spray. It is a local anesthetic, used topically as the hydrochloride salt. Bamethan is a vasodilator also called a Peripheral vasodilator (C04) and further categorized as a Phenylethanolamine derivative). But back to Piceo because Piceol can also be used to make acetaminophen by oxime formation with hydroxylamine and subsequent Beckmann rearrangement in acid. Anticonvulsants are also possible by Mannich reaction. Diprenylated derivatives of piceol can be isolated from Ophryosporus macrodon. 4-Hydroxyacetophenone monooxygenase is an enzyme that transforms piceol into O-acetylhydroquinone. This enzyme is found in Pseudomonas fluorescens. (Pseudomonas means false unit, being derived from the Greek words pseudēs (false) and monas (a single unit). The word was used early in the history of microbiology to refer to germs. The specific name fluorescens refers to the microbe’s secretion of a soluble fluorescent pigment called pyoverdin, which is a type of siderophore. See also Paroxypropione, where the acetyl group is replaced by a propionyl group and Apocynin.

• Müller-Schwarze, D.; Houlihan, Peter W. (1991). “Pheromonal activity of single castoreum constituents in beaver, Castor canadensis”. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 17 (4): 715–34. doi:10.1007/BF00994195. PMID 24258917. S2CID 29937875.
• Dalgliesh, CE (1955). “Excretion of conjugated 2-amino-3-hydroxyacetophenone by man, and its significance in tryptophan metabolism”. Biochemical Journal. 61 (2): 334–337. doi:10.1042/bj0610334. PMC 1215790. PMID 13260216.
• Ngo, le-van; Thi, Van Cuong Pham (1981). “An unusual m-hydroxyacetophenone and three new chromanone derivatives from Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus”. Phytochemistry. 20 (3): 485. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)84171-0.
•  Løkke, H. (1990). “Picein and piceol concentrations in Norway spruce”. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 19 (3): 301–9. doi:10.1016/0147-6513(90)90032-z. PMID 2364913.
• Münzenberger, Babette; Heilemann, Jürgen; Strack, Dieter; Kottke, Ingrid; Oberwinkler, Franz (1990). “Phenolics of mycorrhizas and non-mycorrhizal roots of Norway spruce”. Planta. 182 (1): 142–8. doi:10.1007/BF00239996. PMID 24197010.
• Løkke, Hans (1990). “Picein and piceol concentrations in Norway spruce”. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 19 (3): 301–309. doi:10.1016/0147-6513(90)90032-Z. PMID 2364913.
• U.S. Patent 4,524,217
• Keshari, Amit K.; Tewari, Aseem; Verma, Shweta S.; Saraf, Shailendra K. (2017). “Novel Mannich-bases as Potential Anticonvulsants: Syntheses, Characterization and Biological Evaluation”. Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry. 17 (3). doi:10.2174/1871524917666170717113524. ISSN 1871-5249.
• Sigstad, Elizabeth; Catalán, César A.N.; Diaz, Jesús G.; Herz, Werner (1993). “Diprenylated derivatives of p-hydroxyacetophenone from Ophryosporus macrodon”. Phytochemistry. 33: 165–169. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(93)85415-N.
•  Janice Jorgensen (1994). “Sucrets”. Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands: Personal products. St. James Press. ISBN 9781558623378. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
• Gargiulo AV, Burns GM, Huck CP (1992). “Dyclonine hydrochloride–a topical agent for managing pain”. Illinois Dental Journal. 61 (4): 303–4. PMID 1286862.
• “Sotalol Hydrochloride Monograph for Professionals”. Drugs.com. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
• British Medical Association, Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. (1987). British National Formulary. Vol. 11. Pharmaceutical Press. ISBN 978-0-85369-191-4.

Baccharis flowers are rich in nectar, and several species are good honey plants. Particularly B. dracunculifolia is highly esteemed by beekeepers.

Conservation

A few Baccharis species (especially from the northern Andes) are almost extinct due to habitat destruction. The northernmost occurrence of B. halimifolia, in Nova Scotia, Canada, is also receiving conservation attention.

• “Species at Risk Conservation Fund 2009 Approved Projects”. Nova Scotia Canada Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 October 2011.

Invasiveness

Some Baccharis species, particularly Eastern baccharis (B. halimifolia), have become invasive weeds in places such as Australia and Spain, where they are not native.

Selected species

For the complete list of species see List of Baccharis species.

Baccharis rhomboidalis inflorescences

• Baccharis acutata (Alain) Borhidi
  • endemic to Cuba.
• Baccharis alaternoides Kunth
  •  distribution from Ecuador to Peru.
• Baccharis albida Hook. & Arn.
  • endemic to Argentina. Baccharis albida is a perennial shrub that grows up to 1.7 metres high. The plant grows between 0 and 500 metres elevation and is found in the following provinces of Argentina: Buenos Aires, Chaco, Corrientes, Entre Ríos and Santa Fe.
• Baccharis × alboffii F.H.Hellw.
• Baccharis albolanosa A.S.Oliveira & Deble
• Baccharis aliena (Spreng.) Joch.Müll.
• Baccharis alleluia A.S.Oliveira & Deble
• Baccharis alnifolia Meyen & Walp.
• Baccharis alpestris Gardner
• Baccharis alpina Kunth
• Baccharis altimontana G.Heiden, Baumgratz & R.Esteves
• Baccharis amambayensis Zardini & Soria
• Baccharis anabelae (Deble) G.Heiden
• Baccharis angusticeps Dusén ex Malme
• Baccharis angustifolia Michaux
• (most commonly known as saltwater false willow or just false willow) is a species of North American plants in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Southeastern United States from Louisiana to North Carolina. Baccharis angustifolia is a shrub sometimes as much as 400 cm (13 ft) tall, with narrow, succulent leaves up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long. It is found on streambanks, in hammocks, and on coastal sand dunes.
• Baccharis anomala DC.
• Baccharis antioquensis Killip & Cuatrec.
• Baccharis × antucensis F.H.Hellw.
• Baccharis aphylla DC.
• Baccharis apicifoliosa A.A.Schneid. & Boldrini
• Baccharis aracatubensis Malag. & Hatschb. ex G.M.Barroso
• Baccharis arbutifolia(Lam.) Vahl
  • found only in Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
• Baccharis × arcuata F.H.Hellw.
• Baccharis arenaria Baker
• Baccharis aretioides Turcz.
  • endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
• Baccharis artemisioides Hook. & Arn.
• Baccharis articulata (Lam.) Pers.
• Baccharis auriculigera Hieron.
• Baccharis × australis F.H.Hellw.
• Baccharis axillaris DC.
• Baccharis ayacuchensis Cuatrec.
• Baccharis barragensis Cuatrec.
• Baccharis beckii Joch.Müll.
• Baccharis bicolor (Joch.Müll.) G.Heiden
• Baccharis bifrons Baker
• Baccharis bigelovii A.Gray
  • North American species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Bigelow’s false willow . It is found in the Chihuahuan Desert and nearby regions of the United States and Mexico, in the States of Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Baccharis bigelovii is a shrub up to 100 cm (40 inches) tall, branching from the base. It produces many small flower heads. The plant grows on rocky ground in coniferous forests.
• Baccharis bogotensis Kunth
• Baccharis boliviensis (Wedd.) Cabrera
• Baccharis boyacensis Cuatrec.
• Baccharis brachylaenoides DC.
• Baccharis brachyphylla A.Gray
  • North American species of shrub in the family Asteraceae, known by the common name shortleaf baccharis or false willow. It is native to the southwestern United States (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, southern New Mexico, and western Texas) and northern Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Sonora). It grows in desert habitats such as arroyos and canyons. This is a shrub producing erect, branching green stems up to a meter tall. The leaves are linear or thinly lance-shaped and less than 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long. The inflorescence is a wide array of flower heads. A dioecious species, the male and female plants produce different flower types which are similar in appearance. The flowers and foliage are glandular. Female flowers yield fruits which are ribbed achenes, each with a fuzzy body 2–3 millimetres (0.08–0.12 in) long and a pappus about 5 millimetres (0.20 in) long.
• Baccharis brachystachys (Baker) Malag. & J.Vidal
• Baccharis brevifolia DC.
• Baccharis brevipappa (McVaugh) G.L.Nesom
• Baccharis breviseta DC.
• Baccharis buchtienii H.Rob.
• Baccharis burchellii Baker
• Baccharis buxifolia Pers.
• Baccharis cabrerae Ariza
• Baccharis caespitosa (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers.
• Baccharis concava (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers.
• Baccharis dioica
  • North American species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae known by the common name broombush falsewillow. It is native to Florida, the Yucatán Peninsula, and the West Indies (Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands, Montserrat). Baccharis dioica is a shrub sometimes as much as 300 cm (10 feet) tall. It grows in hammocks, on dunes, and in mangrove swamps.
• Baccharis douglasii DC. – Saltmarsh baccharis, Douglas’ baccharis
  • Baccharis glutinosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names saltmarsh baccharis and Douglas’ falsewillow. The species has a discontinuous distribution, found in western North America (California, southern Oregon, northern Baja California) and in South America (Brazil, Bolivia, etc.). The North American populations were for many years listed as a separate species, B. douglasii, but more recent studies suggest that the plants from the two continents are better regarded as one species. Baccharis glutinosa is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing to heights between one and two meters. The lance-shaped leaves are up to about 12 centimeters long and have short winged petioles. The foliage and inflorescences are resinous and sticky. The plants are dioecious, with male plants producing clusters of up to 40 whitish staminate flowers and female plants bearing bunches of up to 150 fluffy whitish pistillate flowers with a hairlike pappus attached to each developing fruit.
• Baccharis dracunculifolia DC.
  • Baccharis dracunculifolia is a medical plant found in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Uruguay. Baccharis dracunculifolia is used for green propolis production.
  • Lemos, Marivane; De Barros, Muriel Primon; Sousa, João Paulo Barreto; Filho, Ademar Alves da Silva; Bastos, Jairo Kenupp; De Andrade, Sérgio Faloni (Apr 2007). “Baccharis dracunculifolia, the main botanical source of Brazilian green propolis, displays antiulcer activity”. J Pharm Pharmacol. 59 (4): 603–8. doi:10.1211/jpp.59.4.0017. PMID 17430646. S2CID 40137802.
• Baccharis eggersii Hieron.
  • endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. It may occur in Churute Mangroves Ecological Reserve and Machalilla National Park.
• Baccharis emoryi A.Gray
• Baccharis fusca Turcz.
  • endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction.
• Baccharis genistelloides Pers.
  • one of the most studied species in its genus Baccharis regarding its phytochemistry and pharmacological effects. The plant species is widely used in folk medicine. The plant has been used as a folk treatment of high blood pressure, diabetes, stomachaches, and kidney infections. B. genistelloides contains flavonoids that may have anti-inflammatory effects. The plant is perennial. The species along with almost all Baccharis species is dioecious. With the flowers on this plant being unisexual. It is found in countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay. In Andean communities it is locally known as quina senqa. In Portuguese it goes by the common name carque, bacante, and carqueja.
• Baccharis glomeruliflora
  • Baccharis glomeruliflora is a North American species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae known by the common name silverling. It is native to the coastal plain of the southeastern United States, from Mississippi to North Carolina. Baccharis glomeruliflora is a shrub up to 300 cm (10 feet) tall. It has thick, leathery, evergreen leaves with large teeth, and flower heads clumped together in the axils of the leaves. It grows in swamps, hammocks, riverbanks, and other wet habitats.
• Baccharis glutinosa
  • Baccharis glutinosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names saltmarsh baccharis and Douglas’ falsewillow. The species has a discontinuous distribution, found in western North America (California, southern Oregon, northern Baja California) and in South America (Brazil, Bolivia, etc.). The North American populations were for many years listed as a separate species, B. douglasii, but more recent studies suggest that the plants from the two continents are better regarded as one species. Baccharis glutinosa is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing to heights between one and two meters. The lance-shaped leaves are up to about 12 centimeters long and have short winged petioles. The foliage and inflorescences are resinous and sticky. The plants are dioecious, with male plants producing clusters of up to 40 whitish staminate flowers and female plants bearing bunches of up to 150 fluffy whitish pistillate flowers with a hairlike pappus attached to each developing fruit.
• Baccharis gracilis DC.
• Baccharis halimifolia L. – Eastern baccharis, groundsel bush, groundsel tree, consumption weed, cotton-seed tree, silverling
  •  North American species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Nova Scotia, the eastern and southern United States (from Massachusetts south to Florida and west to Texas and Oklahoma), eastern Mexico (Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Quintana Roo), the Bahamas, and Cuba. Baccharis halimifola was first described and named by Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum, published in 1753. No subspecies or varieties are recognized within the species. This species is the northernmost member of the large Western Hemisphere genus Baccharis in the aster family (Asteraceae). Senecio arborescens, a Neotropical species, was confused with Baccharis halimifolia in the past.Widely used common names include eastern baccharis, groundsel bush, sea myrtle, and saltbush, with consumption weed, cotton-seed tree, groundsel tree, menguilié, and silverling also used more locally. In most of its range, where no other species of the genus occur, this plant is often simply called baccharis. Fruiting Baccharis halimifolia in late autumn in central North Carolina. The flowers produce abundant nectar that attracts various butterflies, including the monarch (Danaus plexippus). These dense shrubs also provide wildlife food and cover. Invasiveness – Leaves, and long thin seeds with fluffy hairs for windblown dispersal. The species has become naturalized in Europe and in New Zealand and considered invasive.The species features since 2016 on the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern. This means that import of the species and trade in the species is forbidden in the whole of the European Union. In Australia, B. halimifolia is an invasive species along the coast of southern Queensland and New South Wales. As biological control the rust fungus Puccinia evadens is used. Furthermore, the lepidoptera Hellinsia balanotes (Meyrick, 1908), Aristotelia ivae Busck, 1900, Lorita baccharivora Pogue, 1988 and Prochoerodes truxaliata (Guenée, 1858) were released for its biological control. In the northeastern United States, the species has become common well inland of the shrub’s natural range along various major highways where road salt is heavily used, sometimes forming conspicuous displays when flowering in the fall, as along I-95 in Howard County, Maryland. Toxicity – The seeds of Baccharis halimifolia are toxic to humans. Baccharis halimifolia is occasionally cultivated and is considered useful as a hedge or border as well as a specimen plant. In southern Louisiana, it has been traditionally used as a medicine to treat inflamed kidneys and fever. The species is sometimes confused with the marsh-elder (Iva frutescens), with which it often co-occurs, but the Baccharis has its leaves alternate, while those of the Iva are opposite. Baccharis halimifolia, usually found in wetlands, is unusually salt-tolerant, and often found along salty or brackish shores of marshes and estuaries, and the inland shores of coastal barrier islands. In Florida, it is also found along ditches, in old fields, and in other disturbed areas. Other habitats in the northeastern United States include freshwater tidal marshes and open woods and thickets along the seacoast. Baccharis halimifolia is a fall-flowering shrub growing to about 12 ft (4 m) high and comparably wide, or occasionally a small tree. Its simple, alternate, thick, egg-shaped to rhombic leaves mostly have coarse teeth, with the uppermost leaves entire. These fall-flowering Baccharis plants are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate individuals. Their flowers are borne in numerous small, compact heads in large leafy terminal inflorescences, with the snowy-white, cotton-like female flower-heads showy and conspicuous at a distance.
• Baccharis hambatensis Kunth
  • endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
• Baccharis havardii
  •  North American species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Havard’s false willow. It is native to Chihuahua, southern New Mexico, and western Texas. Baccharis havardii is a branching shrub up to 70 cm (28 inches) tall. It has narrow leaves and many small flower heads. It grows on dry, rocky slopes in mountains such as the Guadelupe, Davis, and Chisos Ranges. The species is named for French-American botanist and career army officer Valery Havard (1846 – 1927).
• Baccharis hieronymi Heering
  • found only in Ecuador. It grows in subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
• Baccharis huairacajensis Hieron.
  • endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
• Baccharis humilis Sch.Bip. ex Baker
• Baccharis intermedia DC.
  • species of shrub native to Chile. The species was first formally described by the botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1836. This species is common on coastal hills of central Chile.
  • Natural hybridisation – It is observed in areas, in which the habitats of Baccharis linearis and Baccharis macraei overlap or come into close contact. It is a natural hybrid of the aforementioned species and is part of a homoploid hybrid swarm. The morphology is intermediate in all aspects and shows all variations from both extremes of the parental phenotypes to intermediate forms. This is due to the back-crossing of hybrids with the parent species. The intermediate morphology is also reflected in the specific epithet intermedia, which suggests this species is intermediate between others.
• Baccharis intermixta Gardner
• Baccharis juncea (Lehm.) Desf.
• Baccharis klattii Benoist
  • endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
• Baccharis ligustrina DC.
• Baccharis linearis (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers. – Chilean romerillo
  • Baccharis linearis, the romerillo or Chilean little rosemary, is a common shrub in Central Chile. It is frequently found in old field after agriculture. Cecidia or galls caused by the fruit fly Rachiptera limbata grow as white, spongy and globose tissues on the twigs of the plant. This densely branched, shrubby species reaches heights of 1-3 m. The branches are erect. Young branches have a green bark, which becomes reddish brown with age. The linear, sessile, rarely dentate leaves are 0-30 mm long and 0-2.5 mm wide. Dentate leaves are observed on young plants, but this characteristic is lost in later ontogenic stages, in which only linear leaves devoid of any dentation are formed. The capitula are formed in groups. In male plants they are 3-4.5 mm wide and in female plants they are 2-3 mm wide. They are attached to the branches by 3-8 mm long peduncles.
  • Natural hybridisation – This species is part of a homoploid hybrid swarm involving Baccharis macraei. Together both parent species form the natural hybrid Baccharis intermedia.
• Baccharis macraei Hook. & Arn.
  • Baccharis macraei is a species of shrub native to Chile and Peru.
  • The plants are 50–150 cm tall shrubs. The branching angle is relatively wide. In the first few years the stems are covered in dense trichomes, which lead to the impression of a round stem. However the stems are edged underneath. With age the stems become greyish brown, shiny and rugose. The firm, waxy leaves, which only have a lifespan of one year, are grouped at the apex of branches. They are obovate and have a toothed margin. The apical leaves envelop the singular, terminal, sessile inflorescences. The capitulum is 5–7 mm wide in male plants and 4–7.5 mm wide in female plants.
  • Natural hybridisation – This species is part of a homoploid hybrid swarm involving Baccharis linearis. Together both parent species form the natural hybrid Baccharis intermedia.
• Baccharis malibuensis R.M.Beauch. & J.Henrickson
  • rare California species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Malibu baccharis. Threats to this species include off-road vehicles and urban development. It is endemic to southern California. It was first recognized as a distinct taxon in the Malibu Creek drainage in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu. Other populations have since been located in Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties. It grows in chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and oak woodlands. Most of the occurrences contain fewer than 200 individual plants. The species was described to science only in 1995.This is a shrub generally growing 40-100 centimeters (16-40 inches) in height, and known to exceed 2 meters (80 inches) at times. The erect stems have a woody base and are mostly hairless, but may be sparsely hairy near the ends of the branches. The narrow, widely spaced leaves are linear or lance-shaped and smooth-edged or slightly serrated, and measure 1.5 to 6.5 centimeters in length but only a few millimeters in width. They are glandular and hairless or with few hairs. The inflorescence is an elongated cluster of many flower heads containing twenty to thirty or more male or female flowers. The fruit is a hairy achene tipped with a plumelike white pappus about 7 millimeters long.
• Baccharis microdonta DC.
• Baccharis myrsinites
• Baccharis neglecta
  • Baccharis neglecta (also known as false willow, jara dulce, poverty weed, New Deal weed, and Roosevelt weed) is a species of perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas) and the south-western and south-central United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas). Baccharis neglecta is a shrub occasionally reaching a height of 450 cm (14.8 ft). The narrow, evergreen leaves that are up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) long. Male and female flowers grow separate plants. Females are distinctive in that the flowers consist of small silky, greenish white heads. The plants are arranged in large clusters up to 1 foot (0.30 m) or more long and 20 cm (7.9 in) wide. Silky plumes start blooming in October and November.
• Baccharis odorata – Tayanka bush
• Baccharis patagonica
  • native to southern Argentina and central and southern Chile, including the Juan Fernández Islands. Baccharis is an ancient Greek name of dubious etymological origins. It is a cognate of βακχος (Bacchus), and may be in reference to the ritualistic frenzies, called bakkheia, which are inspired by that god. The name is ostensibly in reference to the spicy smell of the roots of plants in this genus. Patagonica means ‘from Patagonia‘. Evergreen, small-leaved shrub with an open habit, reaching 8-10 feet high or more at maturity. The leaves, which are obovate in shape, are a dark glossy green. Their margins are usually toothed toward the tips. Flowers in May. Can be propagated via cuttings at almost any time of year.
• Baccharis pilularis DC. – Bush baccharis, coyote brush, coyote bush, chaparral broom
  • Baccharis pilularis, called coyote brush (or bush), chaparral broom, and bush baccharis, is a shrub in the family Asteraceae native to California, Oregon, Washington, and Baja California. There are reports of isolated populations in New Mexico, most likely introduced. The plants are found in a variety of habitats, from coastal bluffs, oak woodlands, and grasslands, including on hillsides and in canyons, below 2,000 feet (610 m). Coyote brush is known as a secondary pioneer plant in communities such as coastal sage scrub and chaparral. It does not regenerate under a closed shrub canopy because seedling growth is poor in the shade. Coast live oak, California bay, Rhus integrifolia, and other shade producing species replace coastal sage scrub and other coyote bush-dominated areas, particularly when there has not been a wildfire or heavy grazing. In California grasslands, it comes in late and invades and increases in the absence of fire or grazing. Coyote bush invasion of grasslands is important because it helps the establishment of other coastal sage species. However, establishment of coyote bush can be concerning because it also displaces highly biodiverse grassland habitat that are important to carbon storage and resilient to wildfires. After grassland restoration, coyote bush can be a major concern and plant invader that overtakes grassland habitat, especially if restoration activities are limited and nonperiodic.The Baccharis pilularis shrub is generally smaller than 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height. Erect plants are generally mixed (and intergrade completely) with prostrate plants. It is glabrous and generally sticky. This and other Baccharis species are nectar sources for most of the predatory wasps, native skippers (small butterflies), and native flies in their ranges. Baccharis pilularis is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and used frequently in drought tolerant, native plant, and wildlife gardens, and in natural landscaping and habitat restoration projects. The cultivar ground cover selections have various qualities of height and spread, leaf colors, and textures. The upright forms are useful for hedges and fence lines, and year-round foliage.Coyote brush is usually deer-resistant. The plants are also drought tolerant after maturity, requiring watering once a week until established, and then about once per month during the first summer. They can mature in one to two years. The plants prefer good drainage.Only male plants of Baccharis pilularis are cultivated for landscaping use. If these are substituted for Baccharis pilularis subsp. consanguinea in ecological restoration, there will not be as much seed set, nor recruitment of new individuals.
• Baccharis platypoda DC.
• Baccharis plummerae A.Gray
  • California species of Baccharis known by the common name Plummer’s baccharis. It is named in honor of American botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, 1836 – 1923. The plant is endemic to chaparral habitats in Southern California. It can be found on the coastline, and in the Western Transverse Ranges, Outer South California Coast Ranges, and on the northern Channel Islands of California. Most of the populations are in a region from southern Monterey County to Los Angeles County, but there are a few isolated populations reported from Riverside County. Baccharis plummerae is a bushy shrub producing many erect, slender stems approaching 2 metres (6.6 ft) in maximum height. The leaves are linear to oblong in shape and sometimes have fine teeth along the edges. They may be up to 4.5 centimetres (1.8 in) long. The shrub is dioecious, with male and female plants producing flower heads of different types. The head is enclosed in a layer of phyllaries which are glandular and sticky. The fruit is a ribbed achene with a pappus 7 millimetres (0.28 in) or 8 millimetres (0.31 in) long.
• Baccharis pteronioides
• Baccharis punctulata DC.
• Baccharis racemosa (Ruiz & Pav.) DC.
• Baccharis rhomboidalis Remy
• Baccharis sagittalis
• Baccharis salicifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers. – Mulefat, seep-willow, water-wally
  • Baccharis salicifolia is a blooming shrub native to the sage scrub community and desert southwest of the United States and northern Mexico, as well as parts of South America. Its usual common name is mule fat; it is also called seepwillow or water-wally. This is a large bush with sticky foliage which bears plentiful small, fuzzy, pink or red-tinged white flowers which are highly attractive to butterflies. The long pointed leaves may be toothed and contain three lengthwise veins. It is most common near water sources.
  • The Kayenta Navajo people use this plant in a compound infusion of plants used as a lotion for chills from immersion.
  • Another use is fire starting. Dried Baccharis salicifolia has a very low ignition temperature, very similar to the dried yucca stalk. It can be used for spindles and hand-drill shafts.
• Baccharis salicina
  • Baccharis salicina is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae. Common names include willow baccharis, and Great Plains false willow. It is a shrub found in North America where it grows in mildly saline areas. The earliest name for the species is Baccharis salicifolia Nutt., coined in 1840. This name, however, had previously been used for some South American material, so the North American plants needed to be renamed as Baccharis salicina. The plant is native to the United States (southern Great Plains region and Southwestern United States; states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah and northern Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Durango, Sonora). The plant grows on open sandy flood plains, most commonly in mildly saline areas.
• Baccharis sarothroides A.Gray – Broom baccharis, Desert broom
  • Baccharis sarothroides is a North American species of flowering shrub known by the common names broom baccharis, desertbroom, greasewood, rosin-bush and groundsel in English and “escoba amarga” or “romerillo” in Spanish. This is a spreading, woody shrub usually sticky with glandular secretions along the primarily leafless green stems. The small, thick leaves are a few centimeters long and are absent much of the year, giving the shrub a spindly, twiggy appearance. It flowers abundantly with tiny green blooms on separate male and female plants.
  • Native to the Sonoran Desert of northwestern Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora) and the Southwestern United States (southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas), it is common in gravelly dry soils and disturbed areas.
  • The Seri refer to desert broom as cascol caaco, and make a decoction by cooking the twigs. This drink is used to treat colds, sinus headache, and general sore achey ailments. The same tea is also used as a rub for sore muscles.
  • Studies done on plant extracts show that desert broom is rich in leutolin, a flavonoid that has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cholesterol lowering capabilities. Desert broom also has quercetin, a proven antioxidant, and apigenin a chemical which binds to the same brain receptor sites that Valium does. However many members of the Sunflower family also contain compounds that cause negative side effects, thus caution is advised until this plant is more extensively tested.
• Baccharis semiserrata DC.
• Baccharis sergiloides A.Gray – Desert baccharis
  • The plant is native to the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico, where it grows in wet areas in dry desert and woodland habitat, such as streambeds. It is found in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Deserts in the States of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Sonora, and Baja California. The leaves are mostly oval shape and up to about 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long. The leaves generally fall by the time the plant blooms. The shrub is dioecious, with male and female plants producing flower heads of different types. The head is enclosed in a layer of phyllaries which are glandular and sticky. The fruit is a ribbed achene with a pappus a few millimeters long. Baccharis sergiloides is a shrub producing many erect, branching stems approaching 2 m (6 ft) in maximum height.
• Baccharis serrula Sch.Bip.
• Baccharis sessifolia L.
• Baccharis sphaerocephala
• Baccharis spicata (Lam.) Baill.
• Baccharis texana
  •  North American species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae known by the common name prairie baccharis or false willow. It is native to northeastern Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas) and to the southern part of the Great Plains of the United States (Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico). Baccharis texana is a shrub or subshrub up to 60 cm (2 feet) tall, with narrow leaves and many small flower heads. It grows in grasslands, hillsides, and mesas.
• Baccharis thesioides
  • North American species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Arizona baccharis. It is widespread in Mexico from Chihuahua to Oaxaca, and also found in the southwestern United States (Arizona + New Mexico). Baccharis thesioides is a branching shrub up to 200 cm (80 inches) tall. It grows in mountains and canyons in pine-oak forests.
• Baccharis tricuneata (L.f.) Pers.
• Baccharis tridentata Vahl
• Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC.
• Baccharis uncinella DC.
• Baccharis vanessae R.M.Beauch.
  • rare California species of Baccharis known by the common name Encinitas baccharis. It is native primarily to San Diego County, California, almost endemic to the county except for one population a few miles over the county line in Riverside County. It is a member of the chaparral flora. It is a federally listed threatened species. It is present in several sites in Encinitas, and it is known from other parts of the county from the coastline to the mountains on various substrates. There are perhaps 15 populations remaining, for a total of about 2000 individuals. Some of the remaining occurrences are on land which may be cleared for development. Baccharis vanessae is a sticky, glandular shrub producing dense, branching, erect stems approaching 2 meters in maximum height. The leaves are linear and up to 4.5 centimetres (1.8 in) long. This dioecious shrub produces male and female flower heads on different individuals. The fruit is an achene with a pappus up to a centimeter long. Often found are elongated lepidopteran galls which Oscar Clarke of Riverside suggests indicates a very old relationship of evolution. Habitat destruction is a threat to the species. Fire suppression in the fire-prone chaparral habitat threaten those plants occurring near residential areas. Introduced species of plants have altered the local plant community. Some of the populations are very small, made up of just a few individuals, reducing their genetic viability. The species name vanessae honors Vanessa Beth Beauchamp, first daughter of the botanist who first described the species and who is currently an Associate Professor of Biology at Towson University in Maryland.
• Baccharis wrightii – Wright’s false willow
  • Baccharis wrightii is a North American species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Wright’s baccharis or false willow. It is native to northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Sonora) and the southwestern and south-central United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Utah). Baccharis wrightii is a shrub up to 80 cm (32 inches) tall, the branches woody only at the bases. Flowering heads are usually borne one at a time on the ends of branches. The species grows on dry, sandy plains.
• Baccharis wurdackeana Malag.
• Baccharis xiphophylla Baker
• Baccharis zamoranensis Rzed.
• Baccharis zamudiorum Rzed.
• Baccharis zoellneri F.H.Hellw.
• Baccharis zongoensis Joch.Müll.
• Baccharis zumbadorensis V.M.Badillo

Formerly placed in Baccharis

The following species are among the many that were considered to belong within Baccharis but are now classified in other genera:

• Isocoma veneta (Kunth) Greene (as B. veneta Kunth)
• Pluchea foetida (L.) DC. (as B. foetida L.)
• Pluchea indica (L.) Less. (as B. indica L.)
• Ozothamnus hookeri Sond. (as B. lepidophylla DC.)
• Vernonanthura brasiliana (L.) H.Rob. (as B. brasiliana L.)
• Vernonanthura montevidensis (Spreng.) H.Rob. (as B. montevidensis Spreng.)

References

1. Linnaeus 1753, p. 860.
2. “Genus: Baccharis L.” Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
3. Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
4. Senecio, formerly considered the largest genus of the family, is now divided into a number of genera, each with fewer species than Baccharis.
5. http://www.arkat-usa.org/get-file/19602/ Baccharis (Compositae) – Maria José Abad* and Paulina Bermejo
6. “Species at Risk Conservation Fund 2009 Approved Projects”. Nova Scotia Canada Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
7. “Baccharis Linnaeus”. Flora of North America.
8. Fernandes, Geraldo Wilson; Santos, Jean Carlos (2014-06-26). Neotropical Insect Galls. Springer. p. 195. ISBN 978-94-017-8783-3.
9. “GRIN Species Records of Baccharis“. Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-12-11.

Bibliography

• Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Species plantarum : exhibentes plantas rite cognitas ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas (in Latin). Vol. 2. Berlin: Junk.

External links

• Pictures of Baccharis rhomboidalis, Baccharis sagittalis and Baccharis sphaerocephala growing in Chile.
• “Baccharis“. Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
•  Media related to Baccharis at Wikimedia Commons
•  Data related to Baccharis at Wikispecies

Categories: 

• Baccharis
• Asteraceae genera
• Dioecious plants