What is Joshua?

Joshua tree, significantly American plant, grows only in the southwestern United States; It is used in the arid soils of the Mojave desert. Yucca brevifolia , as is known scientifically, is the largest member of its family with a height between five and fifteen meters (16.4 feet and 49.2 feet). The Joshua tree has long, straight -shaped leaves, which are about a centimeter (0.39 inches) at the base and narrows to sharp points at the end. The leaves grow in a spiral pattern at the ends of the stems; Dead leaves of previous seasons remain on the stem and are built under new growth. When winter freezing occurs and the amount of seasonal precipitation, Joshua trees flowers between February and April. Its off-white flowers grow in clusters and emit an unpleasant odor.

The

Joshua tree is reproduced in an exclusive and mutually advantageous arrangement with the female moth Yucca whose organs are uniquely able to collect and transmit pyl tree. The moth helps Joshua to reproduce the tree while finishing its own reproductive cycle: it collects pollen as it puts eggs in the ovary flower. As her eggs incubate, the seeds of the tree grow and the larvae of the moths feed on the seeds as they hatch. The larvae usually leave enough seeds to grow multiple trees, but the Joshua tree has special abilities to ensure that Yucca Moth's offspring are unintentional in welcome: if there are too many eggs in the ovaries, it can cancel the tree.

In addition to growth from seeds, the Joshua tree can grow from the rhizomes of other trees. This type of growth helps to survive floods and fires that kill the main tree, but leave the root system unharmed. The Joshua tree grows quite slowly. In the first few years, seedlings can obtain two centimeters (0.79 inches) and yucho, but then usually only one centimeter per year (0.39 inches). The tree trunk is made of fibers and therefore does not have growth rings that most other treeat. It also has a shallow root system that must support its disproportionately large and heavy size, making it more difficult to survive in the desert. Despite this, the Joshua tree often lives for several hundred years.

Mormon settlers gave Joshua tree a distinctive name when they traveled west towards the promised land. The shape of the stretched branches of the tree reminded them of the biblical story in which the prophet Joshua stretches his hands toward the sky. Joshua Tree National Park gives the tree another important place in American history: Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the park in 1936 to ensure that the California rapid urban growth would not endanger the unique desert ecosystem in which the trees are king. The Joshua - Flowing tree in the desert - represents a pioneer of spirit and permanent power that is well suitable for their home in the American West.