Creosote bush scrub facts for kids
Imagine a vast, sunny desert where plants are spread out, but not too far apart. This unique natural area is called Creosote bush scrub. It's a special type of plant community found in the deserts of North America. It gets its name because the creosote bush is the most common plant you'll see there.
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What is Creosote Bush Scrub?
Creosote bush scrub is a large natural area, sometimes called a biome, where specific desert plants grow. These plants are usually spread out quite evenly across flat desert lands. If you look at it, you'll see many shrubs that are not too close together. This plant community needs very little rain to survive. It typically gets between 2 and 8 inches of rain each year.
Where Does Creosote Bush Scrub Grow?
This special desert plant community covers most of the flat desert floors. You can also find it on the relatively flat areas called alluvial fans. These are fan-shaped deposits of sediment that form where a stream leaves a mountain range. Creosote bush scrub is found in three major North American deserts:
- The Mojave Desert
- The Chihuahuan Desert
- The Sonoran Desert
What Plants Live in This Scrub?
The most important plant in this area is the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata). It's so common that the whole area is named after it! But the creosote bush doesn't live alone. Many other interesting desert plants grow alongside it. These are called "associates."
Some of the common plants you might see include:
- White bur-sage (Ambrosia dumosa)
- Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa, Encelia actoni, Encelia virginensis)
- Cheese-bush (Ambrosia salsola)
- Mojave yucca (Yucca schidigera)
- Silver cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia echinocarpa)
- Beavertail cactus (Opuntia basilaris)
Why is Creosote Bush So Widespread?
The creosote bush is very tough and can grow in many different conditions. This means it has a much wider range than its plant friends. Because of this, the other plants you see with the creosote bush might change depending on which desert you are in. For example, some plants might be common in the Mojave Desert but less so in the Chihuahuan Desert. The creosote bush, however, will almost always be there!
