Iodine-bush
Allenrolfea occidentalis
Last reviewed: August 2026
Light
full sun
Water
low
Size
36"–72" H × 36"–72" W
Bloom
Jul, Aug, Sep
Native to
AZ, CA, ID, NM and 4 more states
Pollinators
wind pollinated
Before you buy
Your city may pay you to plant this
Cities and water utilities offer rebates for replacing lawn with native and water-wise plants. We track 431 programs across 44 states, each with a link to the provider and the date we last checked it.
Find rebates in your areaIodine bush is an unusual leafless shrub with jointed, succulent-like green stems adapted to highly saline soils, and inconspicuous flowers embedded in the stem segments. It grows on alkali flats and salt desert basins where few other plants survive.
Wildlife value
The flowers are wind pollinated and offer little to insects, but the plant's tolerance of extreme salinity makes it a rare source of cover in otherwise barren salt flat habitat.
Common questions
- How much sun does Iodine-bush need?
- Iodine-bush grows best in full sun conditions.
- When does Iodine-bush bloom?
- Iodine-bush blooms in July, August, and September.
- Where is Iodine-bush native?
- Iodine-bush (Allenrolfea occidentalis) is native to AZ, CA, ID, NM and 4 more states, per vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
- What pollinators does Iodine-bush attract?
- Iodine-bush draws wind pollinated.
Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists. Pollinator and host plant associations compiled from GBIF, iNaturalist, and published ecological literature.
Ready to grow Iodine-bush? Add it to your garden in Pollinator Patch to track it and get season-by-season care guidance.
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