Whitebrush (Aloysia gratissima)
Whitebrush is a native shrub that can be found throughout much of Texas, New Mexico and Mexico.
- Can reach up to 12 feet in height.
- Has square, brittle stems and aromatic, pointed leaves that are 1/4 inch wide and up to 1 inch long with pale green undersides.
- Flowers are usually white, but can also be blue. They are small, smell like vanilla and grow 1 to 3 inches in spikes.
- Produces flowers almost all summer if growing conditions are good.
- Can form dense thickets that will shade out other more desirable plants and become a problem on overgrazed ranges.
Whitebrush is generally not considered forage for cattle, although goats and White-tailed deer are known to use it for browse. Whitebrush can also provide escape cover for wildlife species.
Whitebrush does have one good quality: The honey produced from the flowers is excellent. The plant is also known as “beebrush” because of this fine honey.
Whitebrush is very tolerant of prescribed fire and resprouts aggressively. However, it can be controlled by mechanical methods and a properly timed chemical application if necessary.
Editor’s note: Kent Ferguson, retired rangeland management specialist from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is providing us with plant identification photo stories to help ranchers identify those forbs, forages and species growing in the pastures. Additional photos provided by USDA NRCS.
Whitebrush is excerpted from the May 2016 issue of The Cattleman magazine.