An Unusual Joshua Tree In The Mojave Desert Of Arizona Royalty-Free Stock Photography

An unusual Joshua Tree with horizontal branches in the Arizona Mojave Desert. Joshua trees are fast growers for the desert; new seedlings may grow at an average rate of 3 inches per year in their first ten years, then only about 1.5 inches per year. The trunk consists of thousands of small fibers and lacks annual growth rings, making it difficult to determine the tree`s age. This tree has a top-heavy branch system, but also what has been described as a `deep and extensive` root system, with roots reaching up to 36 ft. If it survives the rigors of the desert, it can live for hundreds of years; some specimens survive a thousand years. The tallest trees reach about 49 ft. New plants can grow from seed, but in some populations, new stems grow from underground rhizomes that spread out around the parent tree. The evergreen leaves are dark green, linear, bayonet-shaped, tapering to a sharp point; they are borne in a dense spiral arrangement at the apex of the stems. The leaf margins are white and serrate. Flowers appear from February to late April, in panicles, the individual flowers erect, with six creamy white to green tepals. The tepals are lanceolate and are fused to the middle. The fused pistils are 3 cm tall and the stigma cavity is surrounded by lobes. The semi-fleshy fruit that is produced is green-brown, elliptical, and contains many flat seeds. The leaves and fruit were consumed by the extinct Giant Sloth.