Which statement describes Black Greasewood?

• A. Spines grow along branches and at the tips of branches
• B. Drought-tolerant evergreen with broad leaves
• C. Young plants and new growth have white bark, while old growth becomes black
• D. Flowers are red and tubular

Answer: (C)

Black greasewood is a drought-tolerant shrub whose young growth shows white bark that darkens to black on older stems. This change in bark color with age is a distinctive, field-identifiable feature that helps separate it from other shrubs in arid rangelands. It isn’t a spiny plant, it isn’t evergreen with broad leaves, and its flowers aren’t bright red and tubular; they are small and inconspicuous. So describing white bark on new growth with black older wood best captures how Black greasewood typically appears.