Parthenium argentatum, commonly known as the guayule (/ɡwaɪˈuːliː/ or /waɪˈuːleɪ/,[1] as in Spanish), is a perennial woody shrub in the family Asteraceae that is native to the rangeland area of the Chihuahuan Desert; including the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

[11][10] It can also be found in the low desert regions of Arizona, New Mexico, and some parts of Southern California and the Mexican states of Zacatecas, Coahuila, Chihuahua, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas and is able to be cultivated in similar climates around the world.

[12][13] Guayule breeding programs have been facilitated in order to domesticate, commercialize, and develop higher yielding cultivars.

[14] Selection of high-yielding guayule is complicated by its breeding system, which is primarily apomixis (asexual cloning via gametes).

[14] Parthenium argentatum is adapted for hot desert environments and grows well in well-drained, desert-like soil.

[16] Due to the guayule plant's production of terpene resins, which are natural pesticides, it is resistant to many pests and diseases.

[citation needed] In 2011, Howard Colvin led a successful $6.9 million DOE-funded Biomass R&D Initiative to produce and test an all-guayule tire.

In October 2015, the Bridgestone Corporation announced the creation of the first tires made entirely of guayule rubber, having built an experimental farm and biorubber research center in Mesa, Arizona the previous year.