Eriodictyon angustifolium

It is called blackbrush because the gray branches darken when wet by rains. It is drought deciduous (becomes dormant in conditions of severe dryness) It has dense, intricate branches (ramosissima means 'many branched'). Its dense branches form spiny tips. This plant forms vast pure stands across the desert floor and on scrubby slopes, giving the landscape a uniform dark-gray color. Vegetative types in which it dominates or is a codominate are called blackbrush scrub. The leaves are inversely lanceolate, up to 3/8 inch long, have a small point at the tip, and are arranged in opposite pairs along the stem. Flowers have 4 yellowish sepals, many yellow stamens, and may have 4 or no petals.[4] It is atypical of members of the rose family in that the flowers have no petals, have four rather than five sepals.