Name:  Mule Fat (Baccharis salicifolia)

Family:  Sunflower (Asteraceae)

Flowering Season:  Almost Year-round

Notes:  A native shrub, it is the most common plant seen near the creek bed.  Its common name comes from the prospectors who used to tie their mules to the branches - the mules would eat the plant and become fat from it.  With narrow, willow-like leaves, it can grow to 12 feet

 

 

 

Photographs by Gabi McLean
Mule Fat (Baccharis salicifolia)