The small, thick leaves are a few centimeters long and are absent much of the year, giving the shrub a spindly, twiggy appearance.

[4] Studies done on plant extracts show that desert broom is rich in leutolin, a flavonoid that has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cholesterol lowering capabilities.

Desert broom also has quercetin, a proven antioxidant, and apigenin a chemical which binds to the same brain receptor sites that Valium does.

[5][6] However many members of the Sunflower family also contain compounds that cause negative side effects, thus caution is advised until this plant is more extensively tested.

It will accept shearing and can be trained into a decent, short-lived privacy hedge, useful while the longer-lived, taller, but slower growing Arizona rosewood gets established.