However, overgrazing does accelerate the plant's growth and propagation. It tends to grow in shallow soils where over-grazing has reduced the grasses. Bowers and Tekiela in Wildflowers of Texas say it is “often the first plant to re-establish itself … following severe drought.” Extreme infestations reduce forage production but may not indicate overgrazed ranges because broomweed populations fluctuate naturally. Habitat Broom Snakewood is widespread on dry ranges and deserts from California to Texas, south to Mexico, and north to Idaho. Ricky Linex in Range Plants of North Central Texas states “The plant is not considered palatable, but livestock will sometimes eat early new growth in October and November, but more commonly choose it in late winter or early spring when other green forage is scarce.”

There are about 7 to 10 yellowish ray flowers surrounding a yellowish-orange disk. Thousands of these tiny yellow flowers form a large, rounded, terminal mass.

The small (3 to 10 mm) yellow flowers are clustered in 2 to 6 flower heads at the branch tips blooming from June to October. While some green leaves may remain on the lower stems through winter, during droughts it can lose its leaves to conserve moisture. The simple, alternate, 2 to 6 cm leaves are narrow and threadlike with resinous glands that give a distinctive aroma when crushed leading to one common name, Turpentine Weed. It is stouter and shorter than Common Broomweed with a brown stem below and green above, a deep taproot, and somewhat brittle branches. Many unbranched, erect stems originate from a woody base forming a dense broom top and die back when the plant goes dormant. It is a short-lived, perennial sub -shrub being very prolific and then dying back. It ranges from about 6 to 35 inches or 15 to 90 cm tall. & Rusbyĭescription Broom Snakewood, a member of the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae), grows to resemble a bouquet spreading from the ground.

Broom plant propagation