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Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:21 pm
by recluse
The Salt Desert Shrub Ecosystem
It may not be a picture perfect landscape, but it's a healthy ecosystem that serves a purpose in the overall scheme of things.

Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2016 7:41 am
by CactusHugger
King Clone
King Clone is thought to be the oldest creosote bush ring in the Mojave Desert. The ring is estimated to be 11,700 years old, making it one of the oldest living organisms on Earth. This single clonal colony plant of Larrea tridentata reaches up to 67 feet (20 m) in diameter, with an average diameter of 45 feet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Clone

Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2016 7:48 am
by CactusHugger
Greasewood
Common names can be confusing since greasewood is a name for:
  • Adenostoma fasciculatum (chamise or greasewood)
  • Baccharis sarothroides (broom baccharis, desertbroom, greasewood, rosin-bush and groundsel)
  • Glossopetalon spinescens (spiny greasebush, spiny greasewood and Nevada greasewood)
  • Gutierrezia sarothrae (broom snakeweed, broomweed, snakeweed, greasewood, and matchweed)
  • Larrea tridentata (creosote bush and greasewood)
  • Sarcobatus vermiculatus (greasewood, seepwood, and saltbush)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greasewood

Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 7:47 am
by panamint_patty
GREASEWOOD: That's a name I've heard used over and over, but have never really had a specific plant associated with. I have to admit that I'm surprised that creosote is one of the plants sometimes called greasewood. The others on the list either make more sense for the name or are plants I'm not familiar with.

Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 8:37 am
by panamint_patty
Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata) is the dominant or a codominant plant in most of the three major deserts of the southwest: Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and Mojave. Plants eventually form clonal rings and can live thousands of years. The oldest known ring is believed to be more or less ten thousand years old.

Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 6:47 am
by BoraxBill
A CURE FOR CANCER? CHAPARRAL HERB (GREASEWOOD)
Normal people call it creosote, but it's not likely to have any positive health effects... of course, you never know.

Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:47 am
by twister
Ultimate Plant called Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa - brittle bush
This seems like the perfect shrub for desert landscaping.

Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:29 am
by cactuspete
twister: I've seen a few brittlebush plants around Trona and Ridgecrest, but not nearly as many as would be expected based on the attractiveness of the plant. It really should be utilized more, especially with water shortages looming in the near future.

Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 8:27 am
by shadylady
cactuspete: Definitely a beautiful plant and it being a native it would take next to no water at all. I bet a couple gallons a week would get it through the summer once it's established. You could have a yard full of them and use less water than required for a single tree in the case of many species of trees!

Re: Desert Shrubs

PostPosted: Sun Aug 05, 2018 7:26 am
by deathvalleyjake
Microphyll Woodlands
This video pertains mainly to the Sonoran Desert, but it's somewhat relevant to the Mojave Desert also.