Desert Plant I.D.

Provided Information:

1. Photos:

2. Date: January
3. Location: Kingman, Arizona
4. Plant type: Evergreen shrub or tree, desert plant
5. Environment: Commercial landscape
6. Exposure: Full sun
7. Scent: none
8. Other: Also seen growing in the open landscape of the surrounding desert

Identification:

1. Name: Yucca brevifolia (Joshua tree, tree yucca, yucca palm)
2. Family: Liliaceae (formerly part of the Agavaceae family)
3. Origin: Mojave Desert, Southwestern United States
4. Random facts: The Joshua tree has a form of symbiotic relationship with the pronuba moth. This moth is the only successful pollinator for the Joshua tree, and even has specialized apparatus to accomplish the task. In return, the moth gains specific benefit from the Joshua tree by laying eggs within the ovaries of the yucca flowers, allowing their young to feed on some of the resulting seeds. The Joshua tree got its name in the early 1800s from Mormons who thought the branches of the tree resembled Joshua, from the Bible, with his arms outstretched to the heavens and leading the way to the promised land.