Flora of the Desert

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We recently spent a few days visiting family in Tucson, Arizona. While the mention of a city located in the Sonoran Desert might evoke an image of Snoopy's brother Spike, the vegetation of the area is much richer and varied than those tall cactuses, which by the way are called saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea).

A saguaro - they can grow to be 12 m tall, and can have the funniest shapes.

When we were there it was still winter, and relatively cool, so we weren't able to see some of the most beautiful trees and shrubs in bloom, such as the palo verde and the ocotillo. But still, it was very nice to see the diversity of plants, which not only include cacti but also other succulents such as agaves (from which tequila is made) and aloes (about which I recently wrote).

An agave. This photo shows why they belong to the asparagus family.

In the mountainous areas you find numerous other species, including juniper trees and some species of manzanitas (Arctostaphylos), a genus of plants from the Ericaceae family that also include the common bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), which is used medicinally but grows in subarctic regions.

The manzanita flowers reminded me of the Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea).
Both belong to the same family. 

Walking around a botanical garden, a smell very similar to that of elderflowers led me to a plant that I wasn't familiar with. I was surprised to discover that it was jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis).  Despite the name suggesting a connection to China, jojoba is actually native to the area, and endemic to North America. Jojoba oil (made from the seed) is of course well-known and widely used in cosmetic products, and I actually use it as an ingredient of my homemade face cream (the secret to my youthful look ;).

Jojoba plant with flowers.

Another very common genus of cactus is called cholla (Cylindropuntia), and it includes over 30 very thorny species. Also common is the prickly pear cactus, known in Spanish as nopal, which of course is an important part of the local cuisine. 

Close up of a cholla.

I spent a large amount of time examining and photographing plants, and unfortunately wasn't able to identify many of them. Online resources such as this book have helped me find out the correct names of some, and also marvel at the large amount of species that are present in a relatively small area.

A lovely cactus flower.