Desert Flora
Cactus - Grasses - Shrubs - Trees - Wildflowers
How Do Plants Survive the Desert? -- Desert flora have adapted to the extremes of heat and aridity by using both physical and behavioral mechanisms, much like desert animals. The ingenuity and variety of these many adaptations are explored in Desert Plant Survival and the Desert Food Chain. Below are links to the flora found in the deserts, with photos and information about each plant.
Quick Links by Type of Plant
Wildflowers | Cactus & Succulents | Trees, Shrubs, Grasses
Wildflower Articles| Related
Information | Desert Gardening
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
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Beautiful Centaury (Canchalagua) Burrobrush (note "brush" vs "bush" - Burrobush is below) Charming Centaury (Canchalagua) Datura (POISONOUS) |
Dogbane (POISONOUS) Eaton Firecracker, Eaton Penstemon Golden Linanthus, Golden Gilia Jimson Weed (POISONOUS) Owl's Clover (Castilleja exserta ssp. exserta) |
Purple Owl's Clover (Castilleja exserta ssp. venusta) Round Leafed Phacelia, Roundleaf Phacelia San Bernardino Mountains Liveforever Streambank Bird's-foot Trefoil Whitemargin Beardtongue, White-margined Beardtongue |
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TREES, SHRUBS, GRASSES LINKS |
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Arboretums & Gardens of Arizona |
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We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.
--- Artificial Plants ---
Photo tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. Sign up now (It's Free).
| THE DESERT ENVIRONMENT | |||
| The North American Deserts | |||
| Chihuahuan Desert | Great Basin Desert | Mojave Desert | Sonoran Desert |
| Glossary of Desert & Geological Terms | |||
The Saguaro Video
The Saguaro often begins life in the shelter of a "nurse" tree or shrub which can provide a shaded, moister habitat for the germination of life. The saguaro grows very slowly -- perhaps an inch a year -- but to a great height, 15 to 50 feet.
Desert Food Chain Video
A food chain constitutes a complex network of organisms, from plants to animals, through which energy, derived from the sun, flows in the form of organic matter and dissipates in the form of waste heat.
Prickly Pear Cactus Video
Prickly pear cactus are found in all of the deserts of the American Southwest. Most prickly pears have large spines on their stems and vary in height from less than a foot to 6 or 7 feet.
Wildflower field guide - find the flowers by color
Are you interested in the temperatures in the
desert?Click here to see current desert temperatures!
DesertUSA is a comprehensive resource about the North American deserts and Southwest destinations. Learn about desert biomes while you discover how desert plants and animals learn to adapt to the harsh desert environment. Find travel information about national parks, state parks, BLM land, and Southwest cities and towns located in or near the desert regions of the United States. Access maps and information about the Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, Great Basin Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert.
