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September 05, 2005

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On the ride back from Oregon I ran through a small patch of Joshua Trees in Arizona, off of highway 93. Now I had gone through the Joshua Tree National Park in southern California numerous times, but I was pleasantly surprised when I found so many of them here in Arizona as well. The Joshua tree can actually only be found in parts of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.

Confined mostly to the Mojave Desert between 2,000 and 6,000 feet, they thrive in the open grasslands of Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley in Joshua Tree National Park.

Joshua trees can grow from seed or from an underground rhizome of another Joshua tree. They are slow growers, managing less than an inch a year. The trunk of a Joshua tree is made of thousands of small fibers and lacks annual growth rings, making it difficult to determine its age. This tree is not very sturdy because of its shallow root area and top-heavy branch system. But, if it survives the rigors of the desert, it can live a couple hundred years.

One of the most beautiful spectacles in spring is the creamy white blossoms of blooming Joshua trees. These white candles can be seen from February to late April. Joshua trees do not branch until after they bloom and they don’t bloom every year.

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