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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants |
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VALUE AND USE
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:Desert ceanothus is considered fair to good, staple browse for livestock, especially domestic goats, in winter and early spring [14,43,116,132]. Because of their smaller mouths and more flexible lips, domestic sheep and goats are better able to utilize the intricately branched foliage than are cattle [129]. Angora goats relished desert ceanothus seedlings in Arizona, while use of the mature plants was negligible [57]. Similarly, desert ceanothus was used moderately by domestic goats (Angora and Spanish) in southern California, with 1-year growth preferred to 5-years growth [29]. Spanish goats in chamise chaparral in southern California preferred sandpaper oak and chamise over desert ceanothus for summer browse [118]. Desert ceanothus is a highly preferred browse of wild ungulates and is used throughout the year in many areas [11,28,102,122,129]. It is particularly valuable as an emergency browse during winter and early spring because of evergreen leaves [55,129]. Desert ceanothus has been described as one of the most important deer browse plants in chaparral ranges of California and the Southwest [9,43,122]. Reports of use by white-tailed and mule deer range from only trace amounts [65], to more moderate use [38], to heavy use in late fall and winter. Smaller amounts are used in summer and early fall and moderate amounts in spring [69,85]. Elk and desert bighorn sheep also consume desert ceanothus [7,30,102,115]. Small mammals such as brush rabbits are known to feed on the twigs, stems, and leaves of desert ceanothus [71,72]. Seeds are eaten by mule deer, many small mammals, chukar and other birds, and insects [14,34,131].
PALATABILITY:Desert ceanothus is highly palatable to most wild ungulates and to many classes of domestic livestock. It is somewhat less palatable to cattle than to deer or domestic sheep and goats [129]. Overall palatability to livestock and wildlife species is as follows [30,40,44,71,85,102,129]:
NUTRITIONAL VALUE:Seasonal variation has been observed in the nutritional value of specific plant parts of desert ceanothus [131]. Some observed nutritional values are summarized below [115]:
Desert ceanothus exhibits relatively high year-round protein levels, and phosphorus and moisture content were found to be above average, especially during the winter [122]. More detailed nutritional information has been documented for desert ceanothus [115,131].
COVER VALUE:No entry
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:Desert ceanothus is thought to improve soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen and is well-adapted for use in stabilizing both neutral and acidic soils. Establishment by seed is often poor, although seedlings may be readily transplanted. This shrub has been successfully planted onto many types of disturbed sites throughout the Southwest and is particularly well-suited for use in southern and northern desert shrub communities and chaparral [96]. Survival of potted stock of C. greggii var. perplexans planted at 5300 feet (1606 m) elevation in deep soils was 60%. Height growth was 2 to 5 feet (0.6-1.5 m) in 8 years [38].
OTHER USES AND VALUES:Desert ceanothus is a potentially good hedge plant in the Southwest [102]. It is also commonly used in low-maintenance landscaping [126]. Ceanothus spp. are esteemed honey plants [46]. The blossoms form a sweet smelling lather when rubbed in water [79,134]. Ceanothus spp. are known for their medicinal value in stimulating lymph and intertissue fluid circulation [79]. The roots of ceanothus species can be used to make a red dye [134]. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:Heavy cattle or sheep use of desert ceanothus on summer ranges may be symptomatic of overstocking, and closely hedged plants are often indicative of range deterioration [17,43,129]. Although deer damage is not as severe in desert ceanothus as in other species of ceanothus [38], it is one of the first species to be reduced on heavily populated deer ranges of the Southwest [11,43,122,139]. Because of its low stature, the whole plant is subjected to use so it cannot withstand, and may be totally eliminated by, continuous heavy browsing [11,122]. To minimize potential adverse impacts on wildlife, managers recommend treating no more than 50% of an area to reduce shrubs, with treated swaths averaging no more than 300 to 400 yards (275-366 m) in width [11].
Related categories for SPECIES: Ceanothus greggii | Desert Ceanothus |
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