Adenostoma fasciculatum aka Chamise

Adenostoma fasciculatum, or greasewood, belongs to the rose family. This evergreen shrub keeps its leaves all year. Kew gives its native range as California to Baja California, Mexico. Plants For A Future also lists Oregon within its range. It grows in dry shrubland and on hot chaparral slopes. Dense stands also grow in California's coastal hills. The soil at these sites can be poor and depleted.

The shrub grows several stems. Garden plants reach about 10 feet [3 metres] tall. Virginia Tech gives an upper height of 12 feet [3.7 metres]. Thin young twigs start green. They then turn reddish or grayish brown. The reddish-brown bark grows ragged with age and sheds strips. Narrow leaves with sharp tips crowd the twigs in tight bunches. Most leaves are simple, with one blade. Strong shoots may have pinnate leaves, with leaflets along a stalk. The green leaves shine and feel sticky from resin. They have a pleasant scent, but the resin burns easily.

Small white flowers grow at the tips of the twigs. Each flower has five petals. Loose groups of flowers branch out above the leaves. These groups form a pyramid shape. They can reach about 0.33 feet [0.10 metres] long. PFAF gives May to June as the bloom time. Virginia Tech gives late spring and early summer. Each flower holds both male and female organs. Insects carry pollen between the flowers. The fruits are small, dry, brown achenes.

Give this shrub full sun and soil that drains well. It accepts sand, loam, or clay, even soil low in nutrients. The soil can be slightly acid, neutral, or slightly alkaline. It grows in dry or moist soil and withstands drought. PFAF lists USDA zones 7–10 but warns against long winter freezes. In Britain, it grows outdoors in mild areas with shelter. Cold winds can limit where it grows well. In colder areas, a wall can give it shelter. The wall should face south or southwest.

Its spreading roots help hold loose soil on slopes. This helps curb soil loss on fragile ground. People have used its wood to make baskets. They have also used its gum as glue. They burned roots for fuel and tied branches into torches. PFAF records no known edible uses and no known hazards. That hazard note does not prove safety for every use. PFAF also records past use of washes on sore or swollen areas. People used these washes on the outside of the body. These records show past uses, not proof of health benefits.