Blackbush scrub, [1] or blackbrush scrub, [2] is a vegetation type of the Western United States deserts characterized by low growing, dark gray blackbush ( Coleogyne ramosissima) as the dominant species. [1] [2] Blackbush often occurs in pure stands, giving a uniform dark gray appearance to the landscape. [1]
Mojave Desert
Blackbrush scrub occurs over a wide elevation range in the Mojave Desert. [1] It may occur as an understory in Joshua tree woodland or pinyon-juniper woodland. [1] Associates in the Mojave Desert include ephedra ( Ephedra nevadensis, Ephedra viridis), hop-sage Grayia spinosa, turpentine broom ( Thamnosma montana), horsebrush ( Tedradymia spp.), cheesebush ( Ambrosia salsola), and winter fat ( Krascheninnikovia lanata). [1]
Colorado Plateau
In the Colorado Plateau, it occurs across uniformly thin soils. [2]