Joshua Tree National Park

All About the Joshua tree

The Joshua tree is said to have been given its name by early Mormon settlers traveling the West. The tree’s upraised limbs and bearded appearance reminded them of the prophet Joshua leading them to the promised land.

Other observers were not so kind. Explorer John C. Fremont called it “the most repulsive tree in the vegetable kingdom.” Nature writer Charles Francis Saunders opined: “The trees themselves were as grotesque as the creations of a bad dream; the shaggy trunks and limbs were twisted and seemed writhing as though in pain, and dagger-pointed leaves were clenched in bristling fists of inhospitality.”

Despite its harsh appearance, the Joshua tree belongs to the lily family. Like lilies and other flowers, it must be pollinated in order to reproduce. The Tegeticula moth does the job for the Joshua tree which in turn provides seeds for the newly hatched larvae of the moth. Long ago, during the evolutionary history of the Mojave Desert, the Joshua tree and the moth joined together to produce a partnership that continues to this day.

The trees grow at the foot of mountain slopes and capture the surface and groundwater draining from higher elevations. Once in a while you’ll see a Joshua tree clumsily embrace one of its fellows but, generally, its water requirements keep it distant from other trees. Pale, yellow, lily-like flowers festoon the limbs of Joshuas when they bloom (depending on rainfall) in March, April or May.