Joshua Trees
So named as early Mormon emigrants saw, in the shape of some of these large yuccas, Joshua with his arms thrown to the heavens. Ranchers and miners used the sharp pointed leaves as fencing and the trunks for burnable fuel for early ore smelters. Even earlier inhabitants, Indians, used the leaves to make woven baskets and sandals. The seeds are edible.
Though not what you and I might typically call a forest, they do grow in groves. Healthy trees can often last 100 years and some have been found that are 1,000 years old. Root systems can spread 30 to 40 feet outward. Though there were no big yuccas visible here, they can grow to almost 50' tall.
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