Shrubs of the sunflower family are among the most common and important plants of the Intermountain area. In many valley, foothill, and mountain locations, composite shrubs, especially the sagebrushes and rabbitbrushes, provide the principal vegetation. These shrubs are invaluable as ground cover on natural and disturbed landscapes, as forage for wild and domestic herbivores, and as habitat for smaller creatures. The authors discuss and review vegetative, floral, and reproductive characteristics, hybridization, distribution and habitat, use, and division into subspecies entries for important Intermountain species. The following genera are covered: