Desert Paintbrush: Bright Red Wildflower of Arid Habitats
Desert paintbrush brings intense red and orange color to some of the driest landscapes of western North America. It appears […]
Desert Gold: Yellow Wildflower of Death Valley and the Mojave
Desert Gold (Geraea canescens) is one of the yellow wildflowers most closely associated with Death Valley and the Mojave Desert. […]
Desert Sand Verbena: Purple Wildflower After Desert Rain
Desert sand verbena, Abronia villosa, is one of the low-growing wildflowers that can turn bare sandy ground pink, magenta, or […]
Desert Lily: Flowering Plant of Sandy Deserts
The desert lily (Hesperocallis undulata) is a bulb-forming perennial of the hot deserts of southwestern North America. For much of […]
Desert Marigold: Bright Wildflower of Dry Landscapes
Desert marigold is one of the yellow wildflowers closely associated with the dry landscapes of the American Southwest. Its bright […]
Tarbush: Desert Shrub of the Chihuahuan Desert
Tarbush (Flourensia cernua) is a native perennial shrub closely associated with the Chihuahuan Desert of the southwestern United States and […]
Mormon Tea Plant: Desert Shrub with Jointed Stems
The Mormon tea plant is one of the easiest shrubs to recognize across dry parts of the western United States. […]
White Bursage: Low Shrub of North American Deserts
White bursage (Ambrosia dumosa) is one of the low shrubs that gives large parts of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts […]
Brittlebush: Yellow-Flowering Shrub of the Sonoran Desert
Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) is a rounded desert shrub recognized by its silvery-gray leaves and yellow, daisy-like flower heads. It is […]
Blackbrush: Shrub of the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts
Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) is a dense, dark-barked desert shrub that occupies some of the clearest vegetation transition zones in the […]
Fourwing Saltbush: Hardy Shrub of Dry Western Deserts
Fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) is a gray-green perennial shrub found across dry landscapes of western North America. It grows in […]
Camel Thorn Tree: Desert Tree of Southern Africa
The camel thorn tree, Vachellia erioloba, is one of the most recognizable large trees of the dry interior of southern […]
Desert Ironwood: Long-Lived Tree of the Sonoran Desert
Desert ironwood grows on some of the hottest, driest ground in the Sonoran Desert, yet the oldest individuals may have […]
Palo Verde Tree: Green-Barked Tree of the Sonoran Desert
Palo verde trees give parts of the Sonoran Desert a green woody structure even during long dry periods. Their trunks […]
Elephant Tree: Drought-Deciduous Tree of Desert Washes
Elephant tree, Bursera microphylla, grows where water arrives in brief pulses rather than as a steady supply. A dry channel […]
Quiver Tree: Aloe Tree of Southern African Deserts
The quiver tree rises above the sparse ground of southern Africa as a thick-stemmed succulent with the outline of a […]
Desert Spoon: Rosette Plant of Rocky Desert Slopes
Desert spoon forms a rounded burst of narrow blue-green leaves on dry, broken ground. It is most closely tied to […]
Soaptree Yucca: Desert Yucca of Dry Grasslands
Yucca elata, widely known as soaptree yucca, rises above the open ground of the Chihuahuan Desert with a crown of […]
Mojave Yucca: Hardy Yucca of the Mojave Desert
Across the Mojave Desert, low shrubs often shape the horizon. Creosote bush, white bursage, blackbrush and scattered grasses stay close […]
Ocotillo: Desert Plant That Greens After Rain
For much of the year, an ocotillo can look like a cluster of tall, thorn-covered canes rising from bare desert […]
Arizona Pincushion Cactus: Small Cactus of Desert Scrublands
The Arizona pincushion cactus sits so close to the ground that it can vanish among gravel, dry grass, limestone fragments, […]