Sometimes blossoming as early as November and often lingering until May,
brittle-bush is a dome-shaped, winter-flowering bush that brings delight
to desert dwellers in Nevada, Arizona, southern California, and
northwestern Mexico. Stems of the low-growing, silvery-leaved shrub
exude a gum which was chewed by desert Indians and burned as incense by
priests in mission churches, giving the plant the local name,
_incienso_. Strictly a desert shrub, about 3 feet high, brittle-bush
prefers rocky hillsides below 3,000 feet. Growing in masses it often
covers entire slopes with a mass of golden bloom, contributing to the
early spring flower display. Bighorn sheep are reported to rely on this
species for browse.
_Encelia farinosa_ Sunflower Family
[Illustration: BRITTLE-BUSH]