Baccharis pilularis (Coyote Brush)

Known as chaparral broom, or more commonly coyote brush, Baccharis pilularis is part of the sunflower family (Asteraceae), even though it looks nothing like a sunflower. While it is perhaps the most common shrub in coastal sage scrub and chaparral plant communities in northern and central California, coyote brush is used less frequently in cultivation than it could be.

Coyote Brush Attributes

• Baccharis is an excellent habitat plant offering food and cover to a wide variety of wildlife, including predatory wasps, small butterflies, and native flies. With its late bloom, it is an indispensable source of autumn nectar for hundreds of insects. It provides shelter for small animals and birds, such as wren tits and white-crowned sparrows.
• Its main value as a landscape feature is its ability to flourish in a wide range of conditions and for its
  • drought tolerance
  • deer resistance
  • tolerance of poor soil
  • tolerance of some shade
• Baccharis requires good drainage and moderate summer watering to become established, then monthly irrigation in subsequent seasons in hot interior valleys, but is completely drought tolerant near the coast.
• All Baccharis shrubs feature numerous, closely set, small oval, grey-green leaves, somewhat jagged on the edges and covered in a waxy coating that reduces the amount of moisture lost to evaporation. Leaves are moderately fire-retardant, composed of a chemical makeup that reduces their ability to catch on fire.
• Bloom occurs between August and December with male and female flowers borne on separate shrubs.
  • Male shrubs, which are most frequently found in nurseries, have smaller flowers that do not produce seeds and are more desired in the landscape.
  • Female shrubs produce profuse flowers resembling fluffy puffs that travel on the wind and deposit seeds that self-sow. These can become a nuisance.

Low Groundcover Forms

The 1-2 ft. low shrubs available in nurseries are considered improved varieties and are generally preferred for sunny sites in home landscaping.

• The low form creates a pleasant swath of deep green that is useful for breaking up extended areas near driveways and walkways. It is frequently planted on slopes.
• Of the low forms, the most commonly planted are 'Pigeon Point' and 'Twin Peaks,' both of which mound 1-2 ft. high, creating a dark green, undulating groundcover. Planted 2-6 ft. apart, shrubs take 2-3 yrs. to fill in.
  • ‘Twin Peaks’ has dark green leaves and a more compact, lower growth habit.
  • ‘Pigeon Point’ grows faster and has larger, lighter green leaves.
• To maintain a low profile and to renew interior stems, these woody groundcovers benefit from being cut back about halfway every 3-4 years in late winter. Apply a dose of nitrogen fertilizer after pruning. Periodic summer irrigation is beneficial in hot, inland areas.
• Consistently well-maintained and irrigated shrubs have been known to demonstrate some fire resistance.

Tall Baccharis Shrubs

California native Baccharis shrubs found on dunes and bluffs, dry slopes, and chapparal plant communities are an upright 6-10 ft. form that is less frequently planted in home gardens.

• Upright Baccharis pilularis is useful for hedging or fence lines. As a specimen, it develops a rounded form that must be periodically pruned to maintain an attractive shape. Unpruned, shrubs tend to become leggy, but they can be cut almost to the ground to renew.
• The species plant is a secondary pioneer plant, one of the first shrubs to appear in or near chaparral communities after other plants have been removed by cultivation, land degradation, or fire. While common in coastal sage scrub sites, it does not regenerate under a closed shrub canopy, however, because seedling growth is poor in the shade. 

August 2023