Summary ⁶

Gutierrezia sarothrae is a flowering plant commonly known as broom snakeweed, matchweed, and broomweed. It is a hearty shrub and found in a number of arid, grassland, and mountain habitats.

Botanical Information ⁷

Gutierrezia sarothrae, or commonly known as broom snakeweed, is a plant that grows from 8 to 40 inches in height. Its stems can be either brown or green in color, with stems growing outwards from a woody base. The plant can appear domed because all the stems are about the same length. The stems are smooth and have some short hairs and may be a little sticky, because of a resin that the plant produces. The leaves are alternate and linear and 0.2 to 2.5 inches long. Most of the lower leaves shed before the plant starts flowering. During dormancy, the stems die back giving the plant a broom-like appearance. It grows clusters of small yellow flowers from mid-July to September.

Ecological Information ⁸

The broom snakeweed is native throughout much of western North America. Because this plant can survive without water for long periods of time, it mostly lives in desert, dry foot hills, and mountain slopes. This plant can survive very easily with a wide variety of soil types. Snakeweed thrives in disturbed areas and becomes especially prolific in areas of heavy grazing.

Ethnobotanical Information ⁸

The broom snakeweed has been used medicinally for various ailments including treatment for respiratory conditions, colds, coughs, and also dizziness. Specifically, the Blackfoot tribes would inhale steam from the roots placed in boiling water for respiratory ailments. The Jemez people would use a decoction of the herb externally to treat sores. The Navajo would rub the ashes of the plant on the body to alleviate headaches and the Lakota would ingest the decocted herb to alleviate dizziness. The Isleta tribes are known for infusing the herb in a hot bath to treat symptoms of fever and many tribes would also use it ceremonially for snake bites. (Note: Ethnographic reports often lack important contextual information and relevant traditional ecological knowledge.)

References ⁹

1. "Gutierrezia sarothrae." Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. 19 July 2015. Web. 11 April 2016.
2. "Gutierrezia sarothrae (Pursh) Britton & Rusby broom snakeweed." United States Department Agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Service. n.d. Web. 11 April 2016.
3. "Gutierrezia sarothrae (Pursh) Britton & Rusby." ITIS Report. 11 April 2016. Web. 11 April 2016.

Bosque Field Guide
Cartron, Lightfoot, Mygatt, Brantley, Lowrey. (2008). A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque. (p. 60). New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutierrezia_sarothrae
https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_gusa2.pdf
http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/1786/

About the Author ¹⁰

Student author(s)*: By Francesca (age 12) from Scared Heart Homeschool Group

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

1. (c) tyrrellscience98, all rights reserved
2. (c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/4031384187/
3. (c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/4031383265/
4. (c) Forest and Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/starr-environmental/24941292086/
5. (c) Anthony Mendoza, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/39039456@N07/4872629152/
6. Adapted by caseynm from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
7. Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutierrezia_sarothrae
8. Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
9. Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
10. Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
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• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Jepson eFlora
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• OregonFlora.org
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• World Flora Online

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