Purshia

( poor - SHE - ah )

At-A-Glance Information

This species of flowering evergreen shrub, commonly called Cliiffrose, needs full sun and little to moderate water to perform well. The flowers attract honeybees to gardens. Feathery fruits follow the blooms, and branches are clothed in peeling bark. Cliffrose is native to western and northern Mexico and can tolerate clay soils.

Purshia Species and Varietals

The genus Purshia is a member of the plant family Rosaceae, and includes between 5 and 8 species. Best in zones 2-3, 6-12 and 14-21 (to find your zone, click here: Zone Map).

Purshia glandulosa (Desert Bitterbrush, Antelope Bitterbrush, Mojave Antelope Brush, Cliff-Rose)
These flowering shrubs are native to the southwestern United States, and can grow in many different types of soils. Plants reach up to about 15 feet tall, but often are seen much smaller. They form deep taproots that can extend up to 16 feet downwards. Flowers are white and fragrant. Blooms can pop from February through June depending on rainfall.

Purshia mexicana (Mexican Cliffrose)
Native to Mexico, these shrubs are slow-growing, drought-tolerant plants that reach 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide, with resinous leaves and small white rose-shaped flowers.

Purshia stansburyana (Stansbury's Cliffrose)
These plants are native to Mexico and the southwestern United States. They can reach up to between 13 and 26 feet tall when mature, sometimes taking a bit of a tree-like form. Leaves are green, and flowers are cream colored to white. These shrubs bloom abundantly from spring until the first frost of winter.

Purshia tridentata (Antelope Bitterbush, Antelope Bush, Buckbrush, Quinine Brush, Deerbrush, Blackbrush, Greasewood)
These deciduous shrubs can reach 3.5-16.5 feet tall, and have many branches. Leaves are slender and green, and flowers are pale yellow with dark yellow anthers.

Caring for and pruning purshia shrubs

Plant Cliffrose shrubs in full to partial shade exposure, and ensure that soil is well-draining. Sandy, loamy soils are great, as well as rocky or gravelly soils. Purshia mexicana prefers a soil pH of between 6.5 and 7.5. These shrubs are drought tolerant once mature, but do need regular waterings during the first year after planting to help establish a strong root system. Once established, water sparingly, allowing the soil to dry out completely between waterings. Take care not to overwater these shrubs as it can lead to root rot. These shrubs don't generally require fertilization, and can be harmed by excessive feedings. Mulch around the base of the plant to help conserve soil moisture and suppress weeds. Prune Purshia mexicana shrubs to remove dead or damaged branches and foliage and to shape the plant in late winter or early springtime before new growth pushes out for the year.

Propagation

Purshia can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your shrub, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Purshia by Cutting

Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch semi-hardwood portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots.
Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Purshia by Seed

Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 7-14 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.