Spiny Horse-brush
Lagothamnus michrophyllus Nutt.
var. spinosa
A small to medium sized shrub that closely resembles rabbit-brush, but is coarser. The stems of horse-brush are brittle and usually whitish with short, dense, wooly hairs. The numerous small leaves are modified into vicious spines.. The heads lack rays, the disk flowers are small and bright yellow. Horse-brush is non-palatable and highly poisonous, causing liver injury and extreme sensitivity to light when ingested. Located on dry, open places in the foothill and plains m 800 to 2000 mountain elevation. Reported by Nuttall on the arid plains of the Rocky Mountains near the Lewis' River.
