- Backlit Joshua trees.Don Farrall/Photodisc/Getty Images
The Mojave Desert, spreading across southeastern and central California into Nevada, Arizona and Utah, is a region of extremes. Elevations here range from minus 282 feet below sea level at Death Valley to nearly 12,000 feet at Charleston Peak. Scorching -- up to 134 degrees F -- summer days, subfreezing winter nights and average annual precipitation of less than 5 inches mean plants all take their toll on the vegetation. The Mojave's plants are rugged. - The Joshua tree's (Yucca brevifolia) unmistakable profile makes it synonymous with the Mojave. The 5- to 40-foot high plant has a short, thick trunk with multiple, haphazardly spreading branches. Yellow-edged, greenish-blue foliage clusters sprout from the end of each branch. The narrow, sword-sharp leaves provide a backdrop for March-to-May spikes of fragrant, creamy-white bell-shaped flowers. To Utah's Mormon settlers, this plant evoked images of the Biblical prophet Joshua waving his arms to guide the Hebrews into the Promised Land, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Birds, woodrats and lizards all depend on it as a nesting site or source of nesting material. This high desert plant needs full sun and dry, sandy soil
- Hummingbird bush (Justicia californica) is a woody, spreading, deciduous shrub standing up to 4 feet. Its green, arching branches haves small, water-retaining leaves and March-to-June flower clusters. The vivid, orange, yellow or red blooms draw hummingbirds to feed on their nectar. Other birds tear off entire blossoms and consume the nectar tubes, reports the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. While the hummingbird bush may die to the ground in subfreezing temperatures, it quickly rebounds. Native to Mojave Desert washes, it's a flood-tolerant plant. The hummingbird bush likes full sun and sandy soil with occasional watering.
- Mojave goldenbush (Ericameria linearifolia) is a 4-foot shrub native to the Mojave's low, sand and gravel basins. An aster family plant, goldenbush has daisy-like blooms. From March to June, one bushy-stemmed, 3/4-inch golden-yellow flower appears atop each of the shrub's upright stems, according to the Audubon Guides website. Needle-narrow, bright green foliage makes goldenbush's masses of blooms even more vivid. Goldenbush grows in full sun.
- Mojave goldenbush (Ericameria linearifolia) is a 4-foot shrub native to the Mojave's low, sand and gravel basins. An aster family plant, goldenbush has daisy-like blooms. From March to June, one bushy-stemmed, 3/4-inch golden-yellow flower appears atop each of the shrub's upright stems, according to the Audubon Guides website. Needle-narrow, bright green foliage makes goldenbush's masses of blooms even more vivid. Goldenbush grows in full sun.
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