Larrea tridentata     
Creosote Bush   
Zygophyllaceae Family     

Form: open, vase-shape shrub
Seasonality: evergreen
Size: 3-10ft, excellent indicator plant (size indicates amount of water naturally present, or if stunted may indicate presence of caliche)
Leaves: distinctive bifolate wing, tiny; usually yellow-green, darker and aromatic after rainfall
Flowers: yellow, solitary, small, numerous; bloom mainly in spring, sporadically throughout the year
Fruit: pea-sized capsule, fuzzy ball, persistent

flowers, foliage and fuzzy seed capsules on Larrea tridentata

Stems/Trunks: gray
Range/Origin: southwest, elevations to 5000ft
Hardiness: to 5°

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• specimen plant
• informal hedge or barrier
• attractiveness is a matter of personal preference
• can be allopathic

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun, reflected heat
• Water: natural rainfall; some supplemental while establishing
• Soil: tolerant
• Propagation: seed, difficult to transplant
• Maintenance: minimal

NOTES:

Larrea tridentata

aka Larrea divaricata tridentata

distinctive odor after rainfall, characteristic southwest desert smell

not the source of commercial creosote

difficult to salvage from the wild, root ball must be kept intact, best success after fall or winter rain

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This page was first created July 20, 2001 and last modified March 26, 2005.

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email to: tmoore1@flash.net

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