Yuccas, Cacti, Wildflowers, Palm Oasis
April 18-21, 2008
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| Yucca
brevifolia Joshua Tree
The giant tree-yucca of the Mojave has a benign, protective, and joyful presence. IIt grows with Yucca schidigera Mojave Yucca (foreground, top photo) and the shorter, larger-flowered Yucca baccata. |
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CACTI
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| Opuntia basilaris Beavertail | Opuntia echinocarpa Silver Cholla | Opuntia ramosissima Diamond Cholla |
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| Coryphantha
(Escobaria) vivipara Foxtail Cactus
Small cactus with dense clusters of white spines that have distinctive black tips. |
Echinocactus
polycephalus Multihead Barrel
Medium-sized cactus with very stout spines, found only in the Mojave desert. |
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| Echinocereus
triglochidiatus Mojave Mound Cactus
This variable species also grows in southern Arizona grassland and oak woodland. Plants above are typical of the park, but plants with thin, sparse spines and plants with long, stout, twisted spines are also found.. |
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WILDFLOWERS
The park has a spectacular
variety of Mohave and Colorado Desert wildflowers.
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| Delphinium parrishii | Lomatium mohavense | Mentzelia involucrata | Salazaria mexicana |
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| Dudleya lanceolata Narrow-leaved Stonecrop A fragile succulent that grows in damp, sunny cracks in the granite tors. | ||
PALM OASES
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| Rare
and precious, these wild native Fan Palms (Washingtonia filifera)
shade a perennial spring at 49 Palms Oasis.
The wild palms are taller, healthier, and more supple than their domestic counterparts, and their shade is cooler. |
Wild
palm with Nolina bigelovii
at the Cottonwood Spring Oasis. |
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Photos, text, and webpage
by Lorena B. Moore. Please do not use without permission.
Southern
Arizona Desert Plants HOME.