Creosote Bush

in #plants5 years ago

The Creosote Bush, Larrea tridentata, is a very common sight throughout the American Southwest, and has evolved some interesting evolutionary adaptations in order to thrive in the harsh desert environment.

For photosynthesis, all plants need to take in carbon dioxide, but in the process water is lost through the open stomata on the underside of the leaves. In the hot deserts, this water loss can be catastrophic, so the Creosote Bush only photosynthesizes during the early morning, in order to retain as much water as possible.

For this reason, the plant always faces southeast, with its branches and leaves growing to capture as much light as possible during CO2 respiration. It also can assume various shapes, depending on its needs, such as a cone shape to channel water for deeper soil penetration if water is the critical factor, or a bowl shape to collect leaf litter and attract animals if nutrients are needed.


brewbooks.

Many Creosote Bushes cultivate colonies of microbial activity on their branches that give the plant extra helpings of nutrients every time rain washes over the colony. These collections of algae, bacteria and fungus appear as small black spots, and combined with the dust that readily gathers on its leaves, allows the plant to receive many times more nitrogen and phosphorus than other plants in the same area.

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