Discussion

Desert Greenery

Deserts are extremely arid habitats. Plants and animals that live in them have different ways that they adapt for survival and even thrive. One key is to make the best advantage of whatever water is available and conserve its use.

Mormon tea (Ephedra nevadensis)

The Mormon tea plant (Ephedra nevadensis), also known as Indian tea, conserves water by having only vestigial leaves that are barely visible at stem joints, greatly reducing the pores from which most plants "breath" moisture to a minimum

The chlorophyll of Mormon tea plants is contained in the stems. The leaves, such as they are, are located at stem joints.

Creosote (Larrea tridentata)

The creosote bush conserves water in a couple of ways. It produces poison that prevents nearby plants from growing, preserving ground water for itself. The creosote bush also has a very deep tap root, enabling it to reach ground water much farther under the earth than most other plants.

It also has very tiny, resin-covered leaves that 1) minimizes exposure to the sun and heated air, and 2) allows little moisture to escape through pores.

California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera)

This tree is the only palm tree native to the western United States. It grows as much as 82-feet tall, and its fronds can be up to 13-feet long. When the fronds die, then don't naturally fall off but droop down, providing a skirt around the tree that provides shelter for numerous kinds of wildlife. California palms grow in desert oases. Its fruit is edible. This photo is from Joshua Tree National Park.

Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia)

Speaking of Joshua Tree National Park, it has quite a few of its name-sake "trees".

Some people believe that the Joshua tree got its name when Mormon settlers crossing the Mojave Desert in the 19th century felt that its up-reaching limbs reminded them of the prophet, Joshua, from the Bible. Regardless of its name, the Joshua tree isn't really a tree. It is in the yucca genus. Its trunk has no growth rings and consists of thousands of small fibers.

Joshua tree blossoms grow in panicles (clusters) at the tips of branches.

Yucca

The Yucca genus consists of 49 species and 24 subspecies, including Joshua trees. Common garden variety yucca plants have very sharp points on stiff leaves. It is well known that if one isn't careful in their vicinity, one can easily get the point.

Yuccas are not related to the Century Plant (a type of agave) and its relatives, though their appearance is similar in some regards.

Mojave Mound Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus)

What would a discussion of desert plants be without cacti. Quite a few of the have very beautiful flowers, and the Mojave mound cactus is no exception.

It consists of bulbous piles of a few to hundreds of spherical to cylindrical stems. It is a low growing cactus that likes shady areas. These, too, are found in Joshua Tree National Park.

Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris)

This is one of the many varieties of prickly pear cactus. A single plant may consist of hundreds of fleshy, flattened pads.

Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens)

Though a spiny desert plant, ocotillo are more closely related to tea and blueberries than to cacti. It can appear dead during times of extreme drought, but a little bit of rain can bring out massive amounts of small leaves growing directly from the plant's stems. Ocotillo can grow to 33-feet tall.

Flame-red blossoms grow at the tips of the stalks and are pollinated by hummingbirds and native carpenter bees.

Teddy-bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)

There are many species of cholla, but the teddy-bear cholla can be especially memorable, in particular if you happen to brush against one. The lightest touch is all it takes to break away a portion of one for transportation to a new location where the break-away piece can start a new plant. Removing a piece can be painful. A hair brush is the recommended removal tool.

Joshua Tree National Park has a short loop trail through the densely populated Cholla Cactus Garden Trail. One is well advised to stay on the trail.

Barrel Cactus

Many species of barrel cactus exist. They can be small, but some are quite large; almost 10-feet in height. Flowers appear at the top of the cactus, followed by fruit which can last a year before falling off. Barrel cacti can live over 100 years.

Cacti are succulents, but though succulents are found world-wide, cacti are native only to the Americas with the exception of one species in Africa. It is speculated that seeds were carried there by birds. Though not native to Japan, cacti can be found at the Shizuoka Izu Cactus Park at the base of Mt. Komuro.

Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)

Lastly, is the stately saguaro cactus, famous for the arm-like shapes they can sprout. They are native exclusively to North America's Sonoran desert. Saguaro can grow up to 40-feet tall and live more than 150 years. The first side arm doesn't appear until a saguaro is 75 to 100 years old, but some never grow any. More arms means more reproductive capacity.

Saguaro has been used by humans for thousands of years. Its ribs provide building material. Its fruit is sweet and has been turned into syrup. Each fruit contains 2,000 seeds, though very few become viable new plants. Indians have made bread from the seeds.

Saguaro support a number of animal species in various ways. Some birds make nests in them.

Finding Japanese artwork featuring desert plants is a challenge because Japan has no deserts with the exception of one small area that is mostly sand dunes. (I'll talk about it next week.) Some examples have emerged, however,

Kusumi Morikage (1620–1690)

Morikage trained with the Kanō school, but left when he had a falling out with his sensei. He eventually became the official painter for the Maeda clan, one of the most powerful clans in Japan. His hanging scroll below is definitely not a desert plant or scene, but in spite of the presence of enough water to float a boat, it has a stark, barren feeling to it, evocative of a desert landscape. The title is simply Landscape. It is not known when it was painted.

Kawase Hasui (1883 - 1957)

Hasui was a prominent shin-hanga artist who designed over 650 prints over a 40-year career. He was eventually named a Living National Treasure. The print below, titled Arayu in Shiobara, was produced in 1919.

Kakunen Tsuruoka (1892 – 1977)

Born in Japan, Kakunen moved to San Francisco in his late teens. He supported himself as a dealer in Asian antiquities. In the 1930s when the craze in Japanese prints was at a peak, he designed four prints that were published in Japan. Sent to an Arizona interment camp during World War II, Kakunen painted haunting images of the surrounding desert landscape and flora. It is this work for which he is most remembered as an artist today. Two of them are presented below.