Final 20 Species Journal

FAMILY: Cactaceae

SPECIES: Cylindropuntia ramosissima

Associated species: Found in Creosote Bush Scrub and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Native to Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Found in dry washes, slopes, alluvial fans and mesas in both deserts. Reach about 4500 ft.

Soil: Fast draining. Sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils

Other Notes: Home to hummingbirds, butterflies and moths. In the cactus family. Cactus meat is edible. Can be prepared to apply to burns and wounds.

Observations: Green, branched stems with long spines on them. Spines are more sparse on the plant than Silver Chollas. Appears segmented on stems.

FAMILY: Cactaceae
SPECIES: Cylindropuntia echinocarpa

Associated species: Found in Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland and Pinyon-juniper woodland communities.

Range: Native to Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Found in dry washes, slopes, alluvial fans and mesas in both deserts. Reach about 4500 ft.

Soil: Fast draining. Sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils

Other Notes: Home to hummingbirds, butterflies and moths. In the cactus family. Cactus meat is edible. Can be prepared to apply to burns and wounds.

Observations: Green, branched stems with long spines on them. Spines are more sparse on the plant than Silver Chollas. Appears segmented on stems.

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: Cactaceae
SPECIES: Echinocereus engelmannii

Associated species: Found in Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland and Pinyon-juniper woodland communities.

Range: Found in desert areas of the southwestern United States and the adjacent areas of Mexico, including the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Baja California and Sonora.

Soil: Rocky, sandy, fast draining.

Other Notes: Home to butterflies and moths. Fruit is edible and said to taste like strawberry. One of the most common species of cactus in the south-western US.

Observations: Growing in a group out of boulders and rocks. Spines cover entire plant. Not flowering. Brownish-whitish gradated appearances. Only about 4-6 inches in height.

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.

FAMILY: Polygonaceae
SPECIES: Eriogonum fasciculatum

Associated species: Found in Coastal Sage Scrub, Sagebrush Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Valley Grassland, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland communities.

Range: A common shrub that is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, where it grows on scrubby slopes and in chaparral and dry washes in a number of habitats. Tolerates cold to 15° F.

Soil: Prefers loamy soils. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.5. Good in fast, medium and slow draining soils.

Other Notes:
Hosts bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and moths. Native Californians and other Native Peoples use it primarily to treat headaches, stomach problems, diarrhea and wounds. Both the leaves and roots are used, fresh and dried.

Observations: Currently not flowering. Brownish reddish color. Long stems with small flowers that are very delicate at the end. This stage of the plant looks like it's stressed or dead. No noticeable smell. Found on a hillside. Probably about 3 ft in a height. Stems appear fuzzy. Flower looks to grow in a cluster at the end of the stem.

FAMILY: Malvaceae
SPECIES: Sphaeralcea ambigua

Associated species: Enjoys being in the company of creosote and chaparral scrub brush. Also seen with Smoketree, Palo Verde, Joshua Tree, California Juniper and Pinyon Pine.

Range: mostly Southern California deserts, but also found in parts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Northwest Mexico. Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil: Adaptable, but prefers fast draining desert soil. Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0 Soil PH: 6.2 - 8.2

Enjoys deserts and semidesert settings, especially among boulders.

Other Notes:
Hosts, bees, butterflies and moths.

Observations: Currently not flowering. Leaves are a greyish green and look wrinkly and are lobed. Stems and leaves look fuzzy. Found on a hillside.

FAMILY: Asteraceae
SPECIES: Tetradymia stenolepis

Associated species: Creosote Bush Scrub and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Native to the deserts around the intersection of Arizona, Nevada, and eastern California, where it grows in woodland and scrub habitat on sandy and gravelly substrates.

Soil: Prefers sandy or decomposed granite soil. Soil PH: 7.0 - 9.0.

It can be found in a variety of desert habitats from dry gravelly slopes to open sandy washes. Found in very arid slopes, canyons, washes and alluvial fans

Other Notes: Hosts bees, butterflies and moths. Birds eat their seeds.

Observations: Long spines that appear a little thicker at the base. Shrubby looking. Light green/grey tiny leaves. No flowers present. Found in a dry wash.

FAMILY: Ruscaceae
SPECIES: Nolina parryi

Associated species: Found Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Grows in the upper elevations of the Peninsular Range, the Mojave Desert and the southern Sierra Nevada up to 2100 meters.
Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil: Requires coarse, fast draining soil such as decomposed granite. . Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Other Notes: Home to moths, possibly butterflies. Native people eaves were woven into baskets or mats, and the young stems were prepared as food.

Observations: Remarkably similar to a Chaparral Yucca but leaves are different (not as stiff/spiky... more grasslike). Green narrow, pointed gasslike leaves in a rosette-like formation with a tall, thicker flowering stem emerging from the center.

FAMILY: Fagaceae

SPECIES: Quercus cornelius-mulleri

Associated species: Grows in chaparral, oak woodlands, and other habitat in foothills and mountains.

Range: Typically found at higher elevations up to 6,000 ft. Most easily be observed in Joshua Tree National Park and in the woodlands along the western margins of the Colorado Desert in San Diego County, California

Soil: Slopes, granitic soils. Fast-draining soils.

Other Notes: Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

Observations: A shrubby oak. Sharp-pointed lobed, green leaves are smaller than what you think of when you think of oak trees, but the shape is oak reminiscent. No signs of acorns but fruit "buds" present in the center of leaves at the end of the stem. Dark green shiny leaves with a light green, fuzzy underside.

FAMILY: Cactaceae
SPECIES: Opuntia phaeacantha

Associated species: Found in Pinyon-Juniper Woodland and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Found across the southwestern United States, lower Great Plains, and northern Mexico. Up to 7,000 ft.

Soil: Dry, rocky slopes and canyon walls.

Other Notes: Insects are attracted to its flowers, including butterflies and moths.

Juicy edible paddles, especially in Mexican cuisine.

Observations: Round, flat green paddles with long, thicker spines (thicker and longer especially when compared to the Beaver Tail Prickly Pear). Spines more sparse than a silver cholla. Plant was about 1.5 feet tall.

FAMILY: Boraginaceae
SPECIES: Eriodictyon trichocalyx

Associated species: Yellow Pine Forest, Chaparral, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Tolerates cold to 0° F. Native to southern California and Baja California where it grows in several habitat types, including chaparral and grassland.

Soil: Typically sandy or decomposed granite. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.2. Fast draining. Slopes, mesas, ravines, grassy places in dry mountain and desert transition zone.

Other Notes: Locally Cahuilla used it to treat coughs, colds, sore throats, asthma, tuberculosis, and catarrh. It was also used as a liniment and a poultice.

Observations: Smooth looking dark green leaves that appears to be like flower. Leaves were at the end of the stem like a flower. Stem was woody looking. Shorter plant but widespread. About 1 ft tall but sometimes shorter.

FAMILY: Rosaceae
SPECIES: Prunus ilicifolia

Associated species: Grows in Foothill Woodland and Chaparral communities.

Range: Native to coastal California and northern Baja California. Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil: Tolerant of a variety of soils but will grow largest and fastest in coarse, fast draining, relatively fertile garden soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Other Notes: Attracts hummingbirds, birds, bees and butterflies. Great for birds. Not a true cherry tree. Native Americans fermented the fruit into an intoxicating drink. Some also cracked the dried cherries and made meal from the seeds after grinding and leaching them. It has also been made into jam

Observations: Smooth/veiny looking bright green leaf that is maybe a little bigger than a lot of desert shrubs and trees. Looks shrubby. Bush was probably about 12 ft wide and 8 ft tall. Growing on a hillside.

FAMILY: Asteraceae
SPECIES: Ericameria linearifolia

Associated species: Creosote Bush Scrub, Chaparral, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Native to the drier areas of California from the Central Valley south and Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Found up to 6,000 feet.

Soil: Dry slopes and valleys. Rocky hillsides, sandy flats. Clay, Loam, Sand, Rocky soils.

Other Notes: Hosts bees, birds, butterflies and moths.

Observations: Whiteish/brownish flower heads that seem to either not have fully bloomed or already bloomed. Daisy looking flowers. Long stems with skinny, dark green leaves.

FAMILY: Cupressaceae

SPECIES: Juniperus californica

Associated species: Foothill Woodland, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Grows in moderate altitudes 2,460–5,250 ft. Found on slopes. Mostly found in California, but also throughout the Southwest US/Northwest Mexico and Great Basin.

Soil: Typically coarse, well drained and low nutrient soil such as decomposed granite. Soil PH: 7.0 - 8.0.

Other Notes: Traditional Native American medicinal plant, and as a food source, including by local Cahuilla. One of the last places to see junipers this north in this part of the Mojave.

Observations: Tall and wide bush-- about 8 feet wide and 10 feet tall. Branches and leaves look similar to other conifers. This one did not have "berries" (what are actually cones) present. Leaves appear whorled.