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| ## broom snakeweed {#broom-snakeweed .Title-Header}                   |
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| *Gutierrezia sarothrae* Pursh                                         |
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| Plant Symbol = GUSA2                                                  |
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*Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center*

##### Alternate Names![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.4375in" height="2.2916666666666665in"}

snakeweed

##### Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: Broom snakeweed was used by numerous Native American
tribes for a variety of reasons. The Blackfoot use the roots of broom
snakeweed in an herbal steam as a treatment for respiratory ailments.
The Dakota use a concentrate made from the flowers as a laxative for
horses. The Lakota took a decoction of the plant to treat colds, coughs,
and dizziness. The Navajo and Ramah Navaho rubbed the ashes of broom
snakeweed on their bodies to treat headaches and dizziness. They also
chewed the plant and applied it to wounds, snakebites, and areas swollen
by insect bites and stings. The Comanche used the stems of broom
snakeweed to make brooms for sweeping their residences.

*Wildlife*:

##### Broom snakeweed is utilized by some large ungulates including mule deer and pronghorn antelope. Broom snakeweed can comprise up to 28% of the pronghorn diet.

##### Status

Please 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).

##### Weediness

This plant may become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats and
may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. Please
consult with your local NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service
office, or state natural resource or agriculture department regarding
its status and use. Weed information is also available from the PLANTS
Web site at plants.usda.gov.

##### Description

######## General: Sunflower Family (Asteraceae). Broom snakeweed is a perennial subshrub that ranges from 2 to 10 dm in height. It is native to the U.S. The stems are bushy and branch upwards from the woody base. The non-woody stems range from smooth to having some short hairs. The stems may be resinous and therefore sticky when touched. The leaves are alternate and range from linear to linear and threadlike in shape. The leaves are from 5 to 60 mm long and 1 to 3 mm wide. Dense clusters of flowers form at the ends of the stems. There are 3 to 8 ray florets per cluster and 2 to 6 disk florets per cluster. The flattened part of the ray corolla or ligule is yellow in color and 1 to 3 mm long. The whorl of bracts that is found at the base of the flower cluster is 3 to 6 mm tall and 2 mm across. The bracts are narrow and green in color at the apex and along the midnerve. The achenes have a modified calyx consisting of 8 to 10 acute scales. The acute scales of the ray achenes are about one-half as long as those of the disk achenes.

*Distribution*: For current distribution, please consult the Plant
Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

##### Adaptation

Broom snakeweed is found in open, dry plains and upland sites. Broom
snakeweed is killed by fire. Re-establishment occurs via wind dispersed
seeds. Broom snakeweed densities usually increase following fire, if the
seeds in the seed bank are left undamaged by heat.

##### Establishment

Broom snakeweed flowers are pollinated by various insects. Regeneration
occurs primarily through wind dispersed seeds. Most germination and
seedling establishment occurs during the winter and spring. Broom
snakeweed seeds are dormant at maturity and require a 4 to 6 month
after-ripening period prior to germination. The most successful
germination occurs between 59 to 86 °F, at or near soil surface. Broom
snakeweed prefers full sun, well-drained soil, and low moisture.

##### Pests and Potential Problems

Grown in its native habitat and using local seed stock, broom snakeweed
should not be prone to debilitating pests.

##### 

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

These materials are readily available from commercial plant sources.
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

##### Control

##### Please contact your local agricultural extension specialist or county weed specialist to learn what works best in your area and how to use it safely. Always read label and safety instructions for each control method. Trade names and control measures appear in this document only to provide specific information. USDA, NRCS does not guarantee or warranty the products and control methods named, and other products may be equally effective.

##### References

Austin, D.D. & P.J. Urness 1983*. Overwinter forage selection by mule
deer on seeded big sagebrush-grass range*. Journal of Wildlife
Management 47(4): 1203-1207.

Carlson, G.G. & V.H. Jones 1940. *Some notes on uses of plants by the
Comanche Indians*. Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and
Letters 25:517-542.

City of Boulder, Colorado 2001. *Open spaces and mountain parks*.

<http://www.ci.boulder.co.us/openspace/nature/gardens/grow-tip.htm>

Elmore, F.H. 1944. *Ethnobotany of the Navajo*. University of New Mexico
Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 136 pp.

Gilmore, M.R. 1913. *Some Native Nebraska plants with their uses by the
Dakota*. Collections of the Nebraska State Historical Society
17:358-370.

Hocking, G.M. 1956. *Some plant materials used medicinally and otherwise
by the Navaho Indians in the Chaco Canyon, New Mexico*. El Palacio
56:146-165.

Johnston, A. 1987. *Plants and the Blackfoot*. Lethbridge Historical
Society, Lethbridge, Alberta. 68pp.

Martin, S.C. 1975. *Ecology and management of southwestern semidesert
grass-shrub ranges: the status of our knowledge*. RM-156. USDA Forest
Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ft.
Collins, Colorado. 39 pp.

Moerman, D.E. 1998. *Native American ethnobotany*. Timber press,
Portland, Oregon. 927 pp.

Moerman, D.E. 1999. *Native American ethnobotany database: Foods, drugs,
dyes and fibers of native North American peoples*. The University of
Michigan-Dearborn. <http://www.umd.umich.edu/cgi-bin/herb>.

Smith, A.D. & D.M. Beale 1980. *Pronghorn antelope in Utah: some
research and observations*. Publication No. 80-13. Utah Division of
Wildlife Resources, Salt Lake City, Utah. 88 pp.

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service 2001. *Fire
effects information system*. Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Boise, Idaho.

[http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/gutsar/index.html](http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/carill/index.html)

Vestal, P.A. 1952. *The ethnobotany of the Ramah Navaho.* Papers of the
Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology 40:1-95.

##### Prepared By: 

##### *Matthew D. Hurteau*

##### Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, c/o Environmental Horticulture Department, University of California, Davis, California

##### 

##### Species Coordinator: 

##### *M. Kat Anderson* 

##### USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, c/o Plant Science Department, University of California, Davis, California

##### 

##### Edited: 30May2002 jsp ; 19may03 ahv; 07jun06 jsp

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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