Virginia Tech Dendrology

greasewood Chenopodiaceae Sarcobatus vermiculatus (Hook.) Torr. Listen to the Latin symbol: SAVE4
Leaf: Alternate, strap-like, somewhat fleshy, to 1 1/2 inches long, yellow-green to blue-green, may be slightly pubescent.
Flower: Species is monoecious, female flowers are solitary or in clusters in leaf axils, males in reddish-green spikes at the branch tips; appearing spring to early summer.
Fruit: A one-seeded achene 1/3 inch wide with a papery wing, light green and ripening to red-brown; ripening in early fall.
Twig: White, terminating in a thorn; sometimes with thorns subtending leaves.
Bark: Initially white, becoming gray-brown and smooth.
Form: A spiny shrub to 10 feet tall.
 Looks like: blackbrush - four-wing saltbush - shadscale - white ratany
leaf twig bark form1 map
Additional Range Information: Sarcobatus vermiculatus is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting greasewood.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material © 2018 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range maps courtesy USGS from USDA "Atlas of United States Trees" by Elbert L. Little, Jr., Vol. 1 (1971) 3 (1976) 4 (1977) 5 (1978)