Yellow Petals Of The Brittlebush Wildflower Macro Stock Image

The Brittlebush grows in the Arizona Sonoran Desert and is very drought tolerant. The leaves will turn very brittle and eventually fall off. The plant can also be cut back nearly to the ground and revive the next season.The plant was/is widely used by native people. The upper stems exude a yellowish gum or resin that can be chewed. The gum was also burned as incense hence the Spanish name incienso. The fragrance is due to terpenes or terpenoids which are components of essential oils. You can sample the fragrance by crushing the green leaves. Tea made from the dried leaves is used to treat bronchitis and arthritis. The gum was also used to seal pots.Yellowish-brown resin collected from the base of the plant can be heated and used as glue. Native people used this to glue arrowheads to the shaft, for instance.The Seri Indians used the branches to treat toothache: remove the bitter bark and heat the branch, then place in mouth. There are some reports that old-time cowboys used the branches, minus bark, as toothbrushes.