I just came back from a trip to Southern California, where a friend and I spent part of a day hiking and taking in the sights at Joshua Tree National Park. I grew up in California and have seen a lot of the Golden State, but this was my first visit to this particular park.
We entered the park at its southern edge, just off I-10. After driving for miles through typical barren dessert terrain, we began to see, here and there, small specimens of the famous Joshua Trees. They look to me like a cross between a palm and a dracaena.
As we drove further still, we began to see extraordinary rock formations and larger Joshua Trees.
We stopped to hike in the Hidden Valley area amid more stunning rock and mature trees.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1Yiu30InqR4CFNG9_y6EGtKUcnpNEcJt7E11Vo0_XPfRjym4Vtv97F88Moc_Pwx1FO9lRx3Oorg34EUt9cP_5xu9Wpz3IT0Iy_GosJ-sQVoXvzvgjfdu4RN4GYs2HbzQZHu26G5cEVHF/s400/Joshua+Tree+silouette2.jpg) |
Here you see four sizes of Joshua Trees silhouetted against the blue sky and rock. |
Of course, Joshua Trees don't grow in Seattle, but plant people like me are curious. I wanted to know more about these trees after our day in the park. So I looked them up. As it happens, they are related to a plant that we see often in Seattle. The flower stalk in the photo below offers a hint.
Joshua Trees are in the Yucca family (Y. brevifolia) and they are related to those spiky plants that we see all over the city (Y. filimentosa) that sport 4-7' tall spikes of creamy white flowers in spring. Strange as it might seem, an echo of the dessert blooms right here in our own front yards.
Related post:
How Do You Say Yucca?