Hondo Wash Plants

FAMILY: Agaveceae
SPECIES: Yucca brevifolia

Associated species: Found in Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Tends to grow in the high desert at elevations from 1600-6600 feet, though it grows up to 11,000 feet in the White and Inyo Mountains. Dry places, high deserts such as the Mojave Desert, Antelope Valley, and portions of Death Valley National Park

Soil: Prefers coarse grained alluvial, fast-draining soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0.

Other Notes: Home to owls, hummingbirds, butterflies and moths, notably the Yucca Moth. Native people would use the leaves for cordage. Similar to a Mojave Yucca it doesn't die after flowering.

Slow growing. Leaves used by Cahuilla to make sandals and baskets. Seeds and flowers edible.

Observations: Greenish spiky, narrow leaves at branch ends with some evidence of former flowering. Monocot. Tree-shaped yucca and taller than typical shrubbier yuccas. Branches, which twist out from "trunk", appear to hairy from a small brown covering similar but much shorter than what you see in yuccas or palms. Trunk has similar hairs but also has a bark-like look.

FAMILY: Agaveceae
SPECIES: Yucca schidigera

Associated species: Found in Creosote Bush Scrub and Chaparral communities.

Range: Wide range from coastal sage scrub to to mountain chaparral to desert transition zones. They go from sea level all the way to 8,200'.
Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil: Prefers sandy and rocky, fast-draining soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0.

Other Notes: Home to hummingbirds, butterflies and moths, notably the Yucca Moth. Native people would use the leaves for cordage. Similar to a Joshua Tree it doesn't die after flowering.

Observations: Stiff, narrow green leaves with some skirting. Grown in a group. Much shorter and a little more squat than Joshua Trees. Shrub sized instead of tree sized. Monocot.

FAMILY: Bignoniaceae

SPECIES: Chilopsis linearis

Associated species: Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland, wetland-riparian communities.

Range: Equally likely to occur in wetlands and non wetlands. Tolerates cold to 15° F. Commonly seen in washes and along riverbanks at elevations below 5000 ft.

Soil: Prefers sandy or decomposed granite soil with moisture. Soil PH: 6.0 - 9.0

Other Notes:
Hosts, bees, butterflies and moths.

Observations: About 10 ft tall and leaves seem to be shed for winter (it is deciduous). Seed pods are present but open and appear empty. Both shrubby and tree-like.

FAMILY: Asteraceae

SPECIES: Lepidospartum squamatum

Associated species: Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Chaparral, and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Native to the mountains, valleys, and deserts of central and southern California, and Baja California. Occurs usually in non wetlands, occasionally in wetlands.

Soil: Sandy or gravelly washes, stream terraces. Fast, medium and slow draining soils tolerated. Grows in sandy, gravelly soils in a number of habitat types, especially dry alluvial habitat such as dry washes.

Other Notes: Hosts butterflies and moths. An indicator species for alluvial habitat.

Observations: Shrubby (but a little anemic) with tiny white flowers at the end of green. About 4 ft. tall.

FAMILY: Cleomaceae
SPECIES: Peritoma arborea

Associated species: Found in Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Native to California (primarily southern) and Baja California where it grows in a variety of habitats from coastal bluffs to desert dry waashes.

Soil: Grows well even on south-facing slopes, alkaline soils and salty conditions. Prefers well drained soils such as sand or decomposed granite. Tolerates Saline Soil. Soil PH: 7.0 - 9.0

Other Notes: Host to birds, hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and moths. Emits a foul odor to discourage insects. Seeds in pods are edible and supposed to taste like peas.

Observations: Some flowering, but no signs of "bladderpod" fruits. Small, narrow green leaves starting to form off brown, woody stems. Plant was overall about 4 ft. tall. No odor detected.