Trees and Shrubs Overview
Ponderosa Pine   Pinyon Pine   Utah Juniper   Gambel Oak   Douglas-fir
Cliffrose   Apache Plume   Mormon Tea   Utah Serviceberry   Fernbush   Wax Currant   Big Sagebrush
Fremont Barberry   Rabbit Brush   Banana Yucca   Utah Agave   Mountain Mahogany   Blueberry Elder
Rock Mat   Brickellbush   Buffalo Berry

FERNBUSH

Rose Family

Chamaebatiaria millefolium

Fernbush Flowers

Fernbush flowers are white and sticky, about ½ inch wide with yellow centers. Many insect species such as this Thicket Hairstreak butterfly visit the fernbush in flower during August and September. Smaller birds such as Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Lesser Goldfinch and others flock to feed on tiny insects that hide inside the blossoms.


Fernbush Leaves

The 2 to 7 foot fernbush has leaves that look like tiny ferns, but the plant is related to roses, not ferns. The bush is evergreen but the leaves curl up in winter and many are shed. The dried flower stalks remain all year, slowly losing their small reddish seeds. Mule deer and bighorn sheep browse the fernbush, which is one of the South Rim's most common shrubs.







Fernbush

Fernbush leaves are 1 to 1½ inches long; they are furry and sticky and have a subtle, pleasing odor.








Trees and Shrubs Overview
Ponderosa Pine   Pinyon Pine   Utah Juniper   Gambel Oak   Douglas-fir
Cliffrose   Apache Plume   Mormon Tea   Utah Serviceberry   Fernbush   Wax Currant   Big Sagebrush
Fremont Barberry   Rabbit Brush   Banana Yucca   Utah Agave   Mountain Mahogany   Blueberry Elder
Rock Mat   Brickellbush   Buffalo Berry
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