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 Rabbitbush
Chrysothamnus nauseosus
Rabbitbush grows extensively thoughout the sand sheet and within vegetated
areas of the main dunefield. Known as a source of rubber, rabbitbush was
once sought to produce rubber for wartime needs. Since the advent of synthetic
rubber, the need has waned and rabbitbush is celebrated mostly by the
birds and mammals that find it useful as
protection from predators and from a hot midday sun. Rubber also provides
the plant with waxy leaves that help the plant from losing water; the
wax provides a barrier from evaporation. Waxy leaves can also act like
sunblock to prevent cellular damage from the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
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