Bebbia juncea (sweetbush) ( )

Sweetbush is a commonly encountered shrub in wash habitats below 4, 000 feet in both the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. It is a highly-branched subshrub in the Asteraceae family that reaches up to 4 feet in height. The small linear leaves of sweetbush are oppositely arrayed low on the plant and alternate above; they are only present for a short period of time in the spring and the plant's stems are the primary photosynthetic organ during the remainder of the year. The pale-yellow flower heads of sweetbush are discoid, as there are no outer flowers with petal-like organs. Sweetbush is a nondescript plant for most of the year when neither leaves nor flowers are present, but it is easily recognized by it sweetly aromatic stems from which it gets its name. "California Desert Plants, Philip W Rundel, Robert J Gustafson, Michael E Kauffmann."