Burrobrush

Ambrosia salsola, commonly known as burrobrush, cheesebush or winged ragweed (formerly Hymenoclea salsola), is an aromatic, much-branched shrub in the family Asteraceae native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, including the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. It typically grows 0.5 to 2 m tall, forming an open, broom-like crown of slender, brittle green stems. The leaves are linear and thread-like, often divided into a few narrow lobes near the base, dropping early in dry conditions so that photosynthesis is largely carried out by the green stems. The plant is monoecious, with small staminate heads borne in slender terminal racemes and pistillate heads in the leaf axils below. The fruit is the diagnostic feature: a small bur surrounded by a whorl of broad, papery, silvery-white to pinkish wings that aid in wind dispersal and give the plant a characteristic frothy appearance in summer. It is a pioneer of sandy washes, roadsides and disturbed desert flats.