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| ## black greasewood {#black-greasewood .Title-Header}                 |
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| *Sarcobatus vermiculatus* (Hook.) Torr.                               |
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| Plant Symbol = SAVE4                                                  |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS, Boise, Idaho

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.1791666666666667in"
height="3.0083333333333333in"} Black Greasewood. Photo by Brock Benson,
USDA NRCS, UT

##### Alternative Names {#alternative-names .Header-3}

##### Greasewood, seepwood, saltbush {#greasewood-seepwood-saltbush .Header-3}

#####  {#section .Header-3}

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

##### *Wildlife habitat/forage*: Although often considered poor browse, black greasewood provides important cover for wildlife and livestock, especially during the winter. Plants are low to low fair in protein levels depending on soil and growing conditions.  {#wildlife-habitatforage-although-often-considered-poor-browse-black-greasewood-provides-important-cover-for-wildlife-and-livestock-especially-during-the-winter.-plants-are-low-to-low-fair-in-protein-levels-depending-on-soil-and-growing-conditions. .Header-3}

#####  {#section-1 .Header-3}

##### Caution: Black greasewood plants contain sodium and potassium oxalates and are toxic to livestock. Browsing black greasewood can be fatal if even low to moderate quantities are consumed without large quantities of other forage in the diet. Black greasewood is poisonous year round, but plants can be consumed safely in light to very moderate amounts in the spring while the leaves are growing, as long as there is a substantial amount of other preferable forage available. As the season progresses, toxins accumulate and the plant becomes the most toxic in the fall. Animals can also be poisoned in fall and winter by eating the leaves from the ground. Signs of poisoning develop 4 to 6 hours after an animal has eaten a toxic amount, approximately 2 pounds for sheep and 3 pounds for cattle (James et al 1980; Weathers 1998). James et al (1988) state that grazing black greasewood properly and with a great deal of caution can be beneficial to the grazing animal. {#caution-black-greasewood-plants-contain-sodium-and-potassium-oxalates-and-are-toxic-to-livestock.-browsing-black-greasewood-can-be-fatal-if-even-low-to-moderate-quantities-are-consumed-without-large-quantities-of-other-forage-in-the-diet.-black-greasewood-is-poisonous-year-round-but-plants-can-be-consumed-safely-in-light-to-very-moderate-amounts-in-the-spring-while-the-leaves-are-growing-as-long-as-there-is-a-substantial-amount-of-other-preferable-forage-available.-as-the-season-progresses-toxins-accumulate-and-the-plant-becomes-the-most-toxic-in-the-fall.-animals-can-also-be-poisoned-in-fall-and-winter-by-eating-the-leaves-from-the-ground.-signs-of-poisoning-develop-4-to-6-hours-after-an-animal-has-eaten-a-toxic-amount-approximately-2-pounds-for-sheep-and-3-pounds-for-cattle-james-et-al-1980-weathers-1998.-james-et-al-1988-state-that-grazing-black-greasewood-properly-and-with-a-great-deal-of-caution-can-be-beneficial-to-the-grazing-animal. .Header-3}

#####  {#section-2 .Header-3}

*Ethnobotanical*: The tough wood from *Sarcobatus* was used by Native
American Indians for tools and firewood (Welsh et al 2003).

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

#####  {#section-3 .Header-3}

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

*General*: Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae): Black greasewood is a
rapidly growing, tall (3 to 10 ft), erect spiny deciduous to
semi-evergreen shrub (it is more deciduous in northern reaches and less
so in the southern reaches of its range). Black greasewood has a long
lifespan with very good seedling vigor. Leaves are bright green to light
olive green in color, round, narrow and fleshy.

Black greasewood plants are generally monoecious (having separate male
and female flowers on the same plant) but can also be dioecious (having
separate male and female plants) \[Hickman 1993\]. The male (staminate)
flowers are small and clustered in pine cone shaped spikes that are 1/2
to 1 inch long. Male flowers lack both sepals and petals. Flowers are
found at the ends of the top most branches on the plant. The female
(pistillate) flowers are green, small in size (about 3/16 in), very
inconspicuous with a wing-like membrane that becomes enlarged as the
fruit matures. The fruit reaches approximately 1/2 inch at maturity.
Fruit are green while growing, turning reddish nearing the end of
development and tan when fully mature. Black greasewood plants flower in
May through July with the fruit maturing in July through September. Both
male flowers and female flowers can be found on plants from May through
July. The male flowers persist on the plant through the end of the
growing season, while the female flowers are found on the plant from mid
July through November.

Bark is white on young plants and new growth, but turns gray to black on
old growth. Spines are found along the branches and at the tips of the
branches (spines are not considered to be true spines, but the ends of
branches which grow out at about a 90 degree angle). These serve as
mechanical protection from grazing.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="3.125in" height="2.0833333333333335in"}

Mature Seed. Photo courtesy of the PLANTS database.

*Distribution*:

Black greasewood can be found in saline seeps as well as dry upland
communities in arid to semi-arid habitats in all western states east to
Texas and North Dakota. For current distribution, consult the Plant
Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

*Habitat*:

Black greasewood plants inhabit a wide range of plant communities in the
lowlands of the western deserts. Plants are typically found growing in
saline soils that can be quite moist (wet saline meadows) to dry
uplands. Black greasewood is often the dominant species in the plant
community, but plants are also found associated with seepweed, saltbush,
saltgrass, shadscale, basin big sagebrush and Wyoming big sagebrush
communities. Some ecological sites may only have a minor component of
black greasewood, but black greasewood will often increase to become
dominant under certain circumstances giving the impression that it is a
"greasewood site".

**Adaptation**

Black greasewood tolerates mildly to strongly sodic soil as well as
non-saline to strongly saline soils. It is normally found on soils that
are primarily fine-textured and saline and/or sodic, but this plant will
grow on a wide variety of soils from very heavy clays to cobbly loams.
It has very high tolerance to sodic to saline affected soils. Plants are
highly drought tolerant but can also tolerate high water tables and can
survive prolonged flooding (up to approximately 40 days).

##### Black greasewood plants can have an extremely long root system (reported from 1.5 meters (5 ft) to 6.1 meters (20 ft) long) with lateral roots 0.9 meters (3 ft) to 3.7 meters (12 ft) in length. Adventitious buds are found all along the lateral root system which initiate sprouting when the main plant or the root system is damaged. Plants have the ability to crown sprout whenever the crown is damaged.  {#black-greasewood-plants-can-have-an-extremely-long-root-system-reported-from-1.5-meters-5-ft-to-6.1-meters-20-ft-long-with-lateral-roots-0.9-meters-3-ft-to-3.7-meters-12-ft-in-length.-adventitious-buds-are-found-all-along-the-lateral-root-system-which-initiate-sprouting-when-the-main-plant-or-the-root-system-is-damaged.-plants-have-the-ability-to-crown-sprout-whenever-the-crown-is-damaged. .Header-3}

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Although black greasewood is not usually considered to be a weedy
species, sites containing the plant are often in poor ecological
condition due to the combination of past management coupled with the
harsh environment in which the plant normally occurs. Recovering the
health of sites that are in poor condition can be very challenging and
may take years to achieve.

Characteristics of greasewood, such as adventitious buds and crown
sprouting, make it relatively difficult to manage. Unlike black
greasewood, big sagebrush species do not tolerate high levels of
salinity or sodicity. In general, the more big sagebrush that is found
on the site the better the chance of being able to successfully treat
the site. **Where there is very little to no big sagebrush, the
treatment of the site will most likely fail or be a very poor investment
of capital.** Other criteria that should be considered are climate,
available water holding capacity of the soil, depth of soil, soil
surface texture, surface rock fragments and slope.

Control of black greasewood is not easily accomplished. 2, 4-D and 2,
4-D + dicamba (Banvel®) are the most common control methods, but these
rarely work with a single application. Normally two applications on
subsequent years are needed. Occasionally three applications are
required to gain acceptable control. Picloram (Tordon®) works fairly
well. Metsulfuron (Ally®, Cimmaron®, or Escort®) have produced mixed
results. Metsulfuron, when it works, will work very well, but apparently
there are some environmental factors that contribute to its
effectiveness. These factors do not appear to be clearly defined at this
time. Other mixes that have been successfully applied are 2, 4-D +
Tordon and 2, 4-D + Metsulfuron. Adding a surfactant to any chemical
application seems to improve the success of the control project.
Spraying should be completed in the spring when plants are actively
growing and the new leaves are about 1/2 to 3/4 inches long. Be sure to
read and follow pesticide label instructions.

Deep plowing to a depth of 10 inches or deeper and plowing in two
directions is often the most effective treatment where soil conditions
are favorable. After the first plowing, wait until the plants start
growing again and then make the second pass at a 45 degree angle to the
previous pass. Regrowth normally occurs in the next growing season but
can happen in the year of the first plowing.

Where the site is not conducive to brush removal, but improving the
understory is needed, broadcast seeding around the plants without
disturbing them is an option. The likelihood of success for this type of
seeding is low; however, some of the seed may grow and improve the
opportunity for livestock and wildlife use.

One way of seeding areas where a drill can not be used, due to soils
being too fluffy or where there are shrubs or plant stumps in the way,
is to broadcast or aerially apply seed and then put a large number of
animals in the area for a short period of time to work the seed into the
soil surface. Seed trampling works best where the soil surface is too
soft to be drilled at the right depth, or where you are trying to seed
around and/or through an existing stand of black greasewood that needs
understory improvement.

Areas of black greasewood that are burned, crowned, brush beat, or
shallow plowed and/or shallow disked will often result in a much higher
density of black greasewood. Over-grazing of the understory vegetation
also gives greasewood the chance to increase on the site to the point of
site domination.

Not all of the ecological sites where black greasewood is found are
suitable for manipulation. Thus, extreme caution should be exercised
when selecting which sites have the best potential for improvement.

The following points should be kept in mind when managing black
greasewood sites:

-   Proper grazing management of understory vegetation is critical to
    maintaining healthy greasewood sites.

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-   If proper grazing practices are not followed after improvements are
    made, the site will quickly revert back to their former state.

-   Conditions such as low precipitation, high sodicity and high
    salinity can reduce the success of improvements.

-   Black greasewood is a sprouting plant and will come back vigorously
    if only the plant crown is disturbed and the root system is not
    destroyed.

##### Environmental Concerns {#environmental-concerns .Header-3}

Black greasewood is a species native to the western United States. The
species is not considered weedy or invasive, but plants can spread to
adjoining vegetative communities under ideal environmental conditions.
This species can be toxic to livestock.

##### Seed and Plant Production {#seed-and-plant-production .Header-3}

##### Seed can be wildland collected by hand in late fall when the fruit has turned a light brown color. Containerized seedlings can be propagated after placing seed in cold stratification. Germination occurs best at 10º C and 30D/20N C alternating temperature cycle (Baskin and Baskin 2002). {#seed-can-be-wildland-collected-by-hand-in-late-fall-when-the-fruit-has-turned-a-light-brown-color.-containerized-seedlings-can-be-propagated-after-placing-seed-in-cold-stratification.-germination-occurs-best-at-10º-c-and-30d20n-c-alternating-temperature-cycle-baskin-and-baskin-2002. .Header-3}

#####  {#section-4 .Header-3}

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

There are currently no commercial releases of black greasewood.

#####  {#section-5 .Header-3}

##### References {#references .Header-3}

##### Baskin, C. C., and J.M. Baskin. 2002. Propagation protocol for production of container *Sarcobatus vermiculatus* (Hook.) Torr. plants; University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. In: Native Plant Network. URL: http://www.nativeplantnetwork.org (accessed 29 January 2007). Moscow (ID): University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Forest Research Nursery.  {#baskin-c.-c.-and-j.m.-baskin.-2002.-propagation-protocol-for-production-of-container-sarcobatus-vermiculatus-hook.-torr.-plants-university-of-kentucky-lexington-kentucky.-in-native-plant-network.-url-httpwww.nativeplantnetwork.org-accessed-29-january-2007.-moscow-id-university-of-idaho-college-of-natural-resources-forest-research-nursery. .Header-3}

#####  {#section-6 .Header-3}

##### Hickman, J.C. ed. 1993. *The Jepson Manual: higher plants of California*. University of California Press. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA. 1400p. {#hickman-j.c.-ed.-1993.-the-jepson-manual-higher-plants-of-california.-university-of-california-press.-berkeley-and-los-angeles-ca.-1400p. .Header-3}

#####  {#section-7 .Header-3}

James L.F., R.F. Keeler, A.E. Johnson, M.C. Williams, E.H. Cronin, J.D.
Olsen. 1980. *Plants poisonous to livestock in the western states*.
USDA/SEA Agricultural Information Bulletin 415.

James, L.F., M.H. Ralphs and D.B. Nielsen. 1988. *The Ecology and
Economic Impact of Poisonous Plants of Livestock Production*. Westview
Press. Boulder, CO.

Weathers, S.A. 1988. *Field Guide to Plants Poisonous to Livestock:
Western U.S*. Rosebud Press. 232p.

Welsh, S. L., N. D. Atwood, S. Goodrich and L. C. Higgins. 2003. *A Utah
Flora*. Brigham Young University Press, Provo, Utah.

#####  {#section-8 .Header-3}

##### Prepared By {#prepared-by .Header-3}

*Brock Benson*, Area Range Conservationist

USDA NRCS, Ogden, UT

*Derek Tilley*, Range Conservationist (Plants) USDA NRCS Plant Materials
Center, Aberdeen, ID

*Dan Ogle*, Plant Materials Specialist

USDA NRCS Idaho State Office, Boise, ID

*Loren St. John*, Manager

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Aberdeen, ID

*Shane Green*, State Range Conservationist

USDA NRCS, Salt Lake City, UT

*James Briggs*, Plant Materials Specialist

USDA NRCS, WNTSC, Portland, OR

##### Species Coordinator {#species-coordinator .Header-3}

*Dan Ogle*, Plant Materials Specialist

USDA NRCS Idaho State Office, Boise, ID

##### Edited: 020707dgo; 013107lsj; 013107bb; 020607jb; 020707djt; 070209jsp {#edited-020707dgo-013107lsj-013107bb-020607jb-020707djt-070209jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
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*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Conservation
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