Question: What is the name of the shrub planted throughout the Panhandle and Great Plains region during the Dust Bowl?
Answer: Various species of the genus Baccharis, a woody plant that grows up to 12 feet in height and bears a resemblance to willow trees. One species, commonly called false willow, came to be known as the Roosevelt weed, New Deal weed, or poverty weed. During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, the Roosevelt administration facilitated widespread cultivation of the plant to reduce wind erosion. False willow’s extensive root system improved soil retention and removed salts from the ground, enabling it to recover after severe erosion. Its white flowers bloom between August and November.
