Spiny Hopsage-Grayia spinosa

There's a bush lighting up the landscape right now with its almost yellow clustered flowers. This is a member of the Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae), a very important component of the lower elevations of the Great Basin desert. This particular bush is called spiny hopsage (Grayia spinosa), although some folks prefer to call it applebush and I know one cowboy who calls it sugar greasewood.

You can see how the lighter color contrasts with the grayer sagebrush and the greener greasewood and green rabbitbrush.

A closeup of the blossoms shows their very wrinkled appearance. As they age they turn pinker, as seen below.


Male flowers are borne on separate plants, with small flowerheads growing at the axils of the leaves.

Above you can see a female hopsage on the left and a male on the right.

Here's a closeup of female flowers on the left and male flowers on the right.

For more info about spiny hopsage, click here.