Creosote Tenacity
A line of Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata) cast long shadows in the morning light as the sun brings out the texture in the Mesquite Dunes and the eroded northern shoulders of Tucki Mountain, Death Valley National Park, California. The temperature was delightful at this time of day, though it did not take long for the sun to pump the bellows and bring a heat that felt jarring given that 24 hours previously the temperatures in Colorado were just below freezing.
Creosote Bush is an interesting and extremely long-lived plant. Careful research has revealed that its roots are the source of compounds that actively inhibit the growth of other plants' roots. In arid environments this trait likely provides an edge as individuals scour the soil for available moisture. This species is also clonal and the clones may form rings that expand with increasing diameter as the clone ages. The oldest known clone lives in the Mojave desert and through a combination of radio-carbon dating and diameter measurements, over 60 feet at the widest point, it is estimated to be between 11,000-12,000 years old.
Creosote Tenacity
A line of Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata) cast long shadows in the morning light as the sun brings out the texture in the Mesquite Dunes and the eroded northern shoulders of Tucki Mountain, Death Valley National Park, California. The temperature was delightful at this time of day, though it did not take long for the sun to pump the bellows and bring a heat that felt jarring given that 24 hours previously the temperatures in Colorado were just below freezing.
Creosote Bush is an interesting and extremely long-lived plant. Careful research has revealed that its roots are the source of compounds that actively inhibit the growth of other plants' roots. In arid environments this trait likely provides an edge as individuals scour the soil for available moisture. This species is also clonal and the clones may form rings that expand with increasing diameter as the clone ages. The oldest known clone lives in the Mojave desert and through a combination of radio-carbon dating and diameter measurements, over 60 feet at the widest point, it is estimated to be between 11,000-12,000 years old.