VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Flourensia cernua | Tarbush 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Tarbush is occasionally eaten by jackrabbits and other wildlife.  It is
not generally used by livestock unless little else is available [26].
Mature fruit while still on the plant is poisonous to sheep, goats, and
other livestock [9,10,16,26].  Cattle have reportedly died after eating
the flowers and green or mature fruits [5,10]; nonfruiting plants can
apparently be grazed with no ill effect [10].  Tarbush fruit and browse
may also be toxic to wildlife, particularly if forced to feed on it
exclusively.


PALATABILITY : 
The peppery, bitter quality of tarbush herbage makes it unpalatable to
livestock and wildlife [15,16,28].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Tarbush forage in an arid New Mexico range showed relatively high
protein, ash, lignin, and ether extract levels.  Calcium content was
high and phosphorus levels met the requirements for livestock.  However,
goats fed a diet consisting solely of tarbush leaves became severely
emaciated, indicating low nutrient content for this forage in some areas
[10].





COVER VALUE : 
Tarbush provides much-needed shade in summer for range animals [16].  It
is used for cover by the western whiptail and side-blotched lizard [23].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
In northern Mexico, the leaves and flower heads were used historically
to make a decoction for treating indigestion [17,26].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Tarbush increases in response to overgrazing.  It is considered a weed
in desert rangelands where it is increasing in acreage.  Invasion of
grasslands by tarbush and other shrubs decreases their productivity and
value to livestock and wildlife, and promotes wind and sheet erosion and
the formation of arroyos [9,30,31].  Biological control methods have
been considered but as of 1985 no such methods had been implemented
either in the United States or Mexico [9].

Low density stands (less than 80 plants/acre [200 plants/ha]) can be
controlled by individual shrub treatment with herbicides.  Aerial
applications of dicambra or tebuthiuron have produced good results.
Picloram and 2,3,6-TBA have proven less effective [11,13].

Related categories for Species: Flourensia cernua | Tarbush