Hymenoclea salsola var. salsola (Cheesebush)

Hymenoclea salsola Torr. & A. Gray var. salsola

Ambrosia salsola (Torr. & A. Gray) Strother & B.G. Baldw.

Ambrosia salsola (Torr. & A. Gray) Strother & B.G. Baldw. var. salsola

Cheesebush

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Asterales	Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies
Family	Asteraceae	The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers
Genus	Hymenoclea	From Greek hymen, “membrane,” and kleio, “to enclose”
Species	salsola	From Latin salsus, “salty”
var.	salsola	From Latin salsus, “salty”

About plant names...

Cheesebush is native to the Sonoran, Mojave, and Colorado Deserts of Baja California, southern California, southern Nevada, the southwestern corner of Utah, Arizona, and northwest Mexico. The name comes from a disagreeable cheeselike odor given off when the leaves are crushed.

Identification: Cheesebush is a rounded, often disheveled shrub 3-8' (91-243 cm) in height and 6-24' (1.8-7.3 m) around. It is a perennial, but it drops its leaves during periods of drought. It has thin branches and needle-like leaves ¾-3" (1.9-7.6 cm) long, but only ¹/₃₂-¹/₁₆" (1-2 mm) wide. It has multiple white male flowers about ¼" (8.3 mm) in diameter. It is an early colonizer of disturbed sites, being replaced in time by plants such as creosotebush.

Online References:

Hymenoclea salsola var. salsola on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Hymenoclea salsola var. salsola on cabezaprieta.org

Hymenoclea salsola var. salsola on CalPhotos

Hymenoclea salsola var. salsola on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

Hymenoclea salsola var. salsola from the Jepson Manual

References:

MacKay, Pam, Mojave Desert Wildflowers: Including the Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park, Morris Book Publishing, LLC, 2013, p. 272

4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

5/4/2018 · Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 20 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
≈ 31 × 21" (78 × 52 cm)

4/30/2018
≈ 6 × 4½" (15 × 12 cm)

2/17/2007 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California ID is uncertain

5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm)

Hymenoclea salsola var. salsola description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
≈ 4½ × 7" (12 × 18 cm)

5/4/2018 · Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 15 cm)

5/4/2018 · Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm)

Range:

About this map...