Part 3: Plant Classification

Some Examples of Common Western Rangeland Shrubs

This list is a sample of shrubs commonly found on western rangelands. Again, this is not meant to be a complete list. The wide range of climatic and topographical characteristics produces vastly different environments throughout western rangelands that support many different species of plants.

You can find great resources for plant information and identification by accessing the following web sites:

• Plants Database
• The Nature Conservancy’s image archive
• The Arizona Flora and Fauna Image Gallery
• The CalPhotos: Plants web site

Common Name	Scientific Name	Photo
Antelope bitterbrush	Purshia tridentate
Buckbrush	Ceanothus cuneatus
Fourwing saltbush	Atriplex canescens
Gambel oak	Quercus gambelii
Giant red Indian paintbrush	Castilleja miniata
Prickly pear	Opuntia spp.
Shrubby buckwheat, bastardsage	Eriogonum wrightii
Shrubby cinquefoil	Dasiphora floribunda