Creosote Bush Mojave Desert

The ring is estimated to be 11 700 years old making it one of the oldest living organisms on earth.

Creosote bush mojave desert. The shiny oily dark green leaves and small yellow flowers are characteristic of this medium to large shrub. We established plots on the north and south facing sides of l. Creosote bushes of the mojave desert have 78 chromosomes those of the sonoran desert southern arizona have 52 chromosomes while those of west texas chihuahuan desert have only 26. Tridentata in the mojave and sonoran deserts within four different microhabitats spanning from under the shrub canopy.

Creosote bush larrea tridentata is an extremely tough and drought resistant plant. Its distribution extends from southern california northeast through southern nevada to the southwest corner of utah and southeast through southern arizona and new mexico to western texas and north central mexico. It is too cold in the great basin desert of nevada but it thrives in the mojave sonoran and chihuahuan deserts. Such an increase in the number of chromosomes in plant evolution is not that unusual.

King clone the 11 700 year old creosote bush ring in the mojave desert as the creosote bush grows older its oldest branches eventually die and its crown splits into separate crowns. This normally happens when the plant is 30 to 90 years old. The mojave desert is the northward limit of the range of this species. Creosotebush occurs throughout the mojave sonoran and chihuahuan deserts.

Creosote bush is the most widely distributed shrub of the desert environment. Creosote larrea tridentata also known as greasewood is the most common shrub in three of the four north american deserts. Indians utilized the creosote bush for firewood glue tea and as a general antiseptic. King clone the 11 700 year old creosote bush ring in the mojave desert king clone is thought to be the oldest creosote bush ring in the mojave desert.

It competes aggressively with other plants for water and usually wins accounting for its prevalence in many arid locations of the southwest.