[Illustration: Hymenoclea monogyra]
Common names: BURROBUSH, CHEESEWEED
Arizona and California deserts: (_Hymenoclea salsola_). Silvery red.
March-April.
Texas-New Mexico deserts: (_Hymenoclea monogyra_). Silvery red.
September.
Sunflower family. Size: Much-branched shrub, 2 to 3 feet tall.
Burrobush is another of the common desert shrubs whose fruits are much
more conspicuous than the blossoms. The shrub itself is bright green in
color, and somewhat resembles the common Russian-thistle. It is
widespread, and abundant in sandy washes, where it tends to form
thickets.
In some localities it is called “Cheeseweed” because of the cheesy odor
of the crushed foliage.
It occurs throughout the Southwest at elevations below 4,000 feet, from
western Texas to southern California and northern Mexico.