PhotographsMy photos:These photos were taken at Anza Borrego State Park in February. (On the photo below, my classmates can be seen in the background.)
More photos:Virginia Tech has photos of the flowers and seeds. |
click photo to enlarge |
Larrea tridentata is also known as L. divaricata. This strong-scented evergreen shrub is the most common plant of the Mojave Desert. Branches are brittle, grayish, and about 6 feet tall. Leaves are yellow-green, small, and waxy. A gummy secretion makes the leaves look varnished and will have a distinctive creosote odor, especially after a rain. It prefers full sun and with water and fertilizer, it will grow taller, leaves will be larger, and its form will be more dense than in nature. Flowers are solitary, yellow, and occur in April and May (at other times of the year as well). Use as a wind or privacy screen; it will trim into a more formal hedge. Prefers a shallow, dry soil. It is also known as "Greasewood" because of its waxy leaf surface.
It grows on dry slopes and plains, below 5000 feet. It occurs in our deserts and in South America, but no where else on the planet. Its branches may die back or be destroyed but the roots continue to live and produce new branches. It is thought to be the oldest plant on earth. It blooms after a rain.
The plant was used by native people for a variety of medicinal purposes, most notably for stomach ailments and for bone and joint pain.
Field Trips
Anza Borrego Caspers
Holy Jim Canyon Idyllwild
Joshua Tree Mt Palomar Rancho
Santa Ana Torrey Pines
Last update 04/05/07
Copyright © Jeanne Lepowsky 2004
