What is greasewood?

Greasewood is a name applied to a number of thorny shrubs characteristic of strongly alkaline soils. The common greasewood of the west extends from the upper waters of the Missouri and the Platte rivers to the Gila, and westward to the Sierra Nevadas. It grows from four to eight feet high with a wealth of narrow leaves on the young branches. It is a companion of the salt sages, and thrives in soil too alkaline for wheat or alfalfa. A smaller form is found in the southwest from Texas to California. Greasewood is better than no vegetation. It relieves the barren aspect of a region, and its twigs afford some pasturage for cattle.

Greasewood