Walked around today and looked at some of the desert plants...First is the "Teddy Bear Cholla" (say Choy-Ya)
This is a cholla cactus species native
to Northwestern Mexico, and to the United States in California, Arizona, and
Nevada deserts. Has annoying habit of sticking to you clothes, or the Boys fur! The needles have a little barb like a fish hook, and the ends of the arms pop off easily so it comes home with you! Some call it a Jumping Cactus!....Next is the Buckhorn Cholla...
This is a cholla native to the Mojave, Sonoran, and Colorado
Deserts of North America. It is the most
common cholla found in these deserts....
Then the Prickly Pear...they are much bigger here than at home....
Next is the Desert Mesquite, commonly known as velvet mesquite, is
a small to medium-sized perennial tree. It is a legume adapted to a dry, desert
climate. Though considered to be a noxious weed in states outside its natural
range, it plays a vital role in the ecology of the Sonoran Desert.
Next is the Jojoba, (pronounced ho-ho-bah), is an evergreen desert
shrub that is usually about five feet high and wide, but can grow up to 10 feet
tall. There are male and female plants usually with the ratio of four males to
every female in Arizona...
Jojoba oil and wax are produced from the seeds and used
for medicine. Jojoba is applied directly to the skin for acne, psoriasis,
sunburn, and chapped skin.
These will flower soon and produce the beans after that...Next is the Palo Verde Tree...
The Palo Verde is a species native to the Sonoran Deserts in the Southwestern United States and
Northwestern Mexico. Its name means "green pole or stick" in Spanish,
referring to the green trunk and branches, that perform photosynthesis. The bark is waxy to help conserve water.
A lot of the Palo Verde trees are infested with Desert Mistletoe The desert mistletoe is a common perennial found in the
Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, locations that are less than 4,000 feet in elevation. The plant is a hemiparasite, which means it carries out
photosynthesis in its many green stems while obtaining additional nutrients and
water from the host plant upon which it grows...
This Palo Verde is covered with the parasitic plant...
And lets not forget our favorite...The Saguaro Cactus, one of the
defining plants of the Sonoran Desert. These plants are large, tree-like
columnar cacti that develop branches (or arms) as they age, although some never
grow arms. These arms generally bend upward and can number over 25.
Saguaros have a long lifespan, often exceeding
150 years. They may grow their first side arm any time from 75–100 years of
age, but some never grow any arms. Arms are developed to increase the plant's
reproductive capacity...more arms lead to more flowers and fruit. A saguaro is able to absorb and store considerable
amounts of rainwater, visibly expanding in the process, while slowly using the
stored water as needed. This characteristic enables the saguaro to survive
during periods of drought.
