Yucca brevifolia

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Yucca brevifolia is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca . This is a tree-like habit, reflected in its common name: Joshua tree , yucca palm , yucca tree , and yucca palm .

This monocotyledonous tree originates from the arid southwestern United States, particularly California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, where it is confined to the Mojave Desert between 400 and 1,800 m (1,300 and 5,900 ft). It thrives on open grasslands in the Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley in Joshua Tree National Park. The solid Joshua tree forest also exists in the Mojave National Preserve, in Cima Dome, (Cima, California), northeast of Kingman, Arizona in Mohave County, Arizona, and along US 93 between the towns of Wickenburg and Wikieup, and designated as Joshua Tree Parkway of Arizona.

Video Yucca brevifolia

Taxonomy

The name Joshua tree was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The unique shape of the tree reminds them of the Bible story in which Joshua reaches his hand into the sky in prayer. Breeders and miners whose contemporaries with Mormon immigrants use stems and branches as fences and as fuel for ore processing steam engines. It is also called izote de desierto (Spanish, "desert dagger"). It was first formally described in the botanical literature as Yucca brevifolia by George Engelmann in 1871 as part of the Geological Exploration of the 100th meridian or Wheeler Survey.

In addition to the autonymic subspecies Yucca brevifolia subsp. brevifolia , two other subspecies have been described: Yucca brevifolia subsp. jaegeriana (Jaeger Joshua tree or Joshua Jaeger tree or pygmae yucca) and Yucca brevifolia subsp. herbertii (yucca Webber or Herbert Joshua tree), although both are sometimes treated as varieties or shapes.

Maps Yucca brevifolia

Growth and development

The Joshua tree is a fast grower for the desert; new seeds can grow an average of 7.6 cm (3.0 inches) per year in the first ten years, then only about 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) per year. The trunk is made up of thousands of tiny fibers and has no annual growth rings, making it difficult to determine the age of the tree. 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 11 m (36 ft). If surviving the severity of the desert, it can live for hundreds of years; some specimens last for a thousand years. The highest tree reaches about 15 m (49 ft). New plants can grow from seeds, but in some populations, new stems grow from underground rhizomes that spread around the mother tree.

The green leaves are dark green, linear, bayonet-shaped, 15-35 cm long and 7-15 mm wide at the base, tapered to sharp points; They are borne in a solid spiral arrangement at the top of the stem. The leaves are white and jagged.

Flowers appear from February to the end of April, in panicles as high as 30-55 cm and 30-38 cm wide, individual upright flowers, 4-7 cm tall, with six white edges of beige and green. Tepal is lanceolate and blends into the middle. The fused piston is 3 cm high and the stigma cavity is surrounded by the lobes. The resulting semi-fleshy fruit is green-brown, elliptical, and contains many flat seeds. The Joshua tree usually does not branch off until after bloom (although branching can also occur if the tip grows destroyed by the yucca-boring bulb), and they do not bloom every year. Like most desert plants, their flowers depend on rainfall at the right time. They also need a winter freeze before they bloom.

After they bloom, the trees are pollinated by a yucca moth, which spreads pollen while laying its eggs in the flower. Moth larvae feed on seeds, but enough seeds are left to reproduce. The Joshua tree can also actively abort the ovaries in which too many eggs have been laid.

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Distribution and habitat

Yucca brevifolia is endemic in the Southwest United States with populations in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. This distance largely coincides with the geographical range of the Mojave Desert, where it is considered one of the major indicator species for deserts. It occurs at an altitude between 400 and 1,800 m (1,300 and 5,900 ft).

Conservation status

In a 2001 paper published in the journal Ecosystems, the Joshua tree is one of the predicted species that has a reduced range and is shifting by climate change. There are fears that they will be eliminated from Joshua Tree National Park, with ecological research showing a high probability that their population will be reduced by 90% of the current range by the end of the 21st century, thus fundamentally changing the park's ecosystem. There is also concern about the ability of species to migrate to favorable climates due to the extinction of the land of the giant sloth Shasta ( Nothrotheriops shastensis ) 13,000 years ago; dirt land sloth was found to contain Joshua tree leaves, fruits, and grains, suggesting that sloths may be the key to spreading trees.

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Use and cultivation

Various forms of species are cultivated, including native small plants from the eastern part of various species. This small plant grows 2.5 meters and branches off when about a meter.

Cahuilla Native Americans, who have lived in the southwestern United States for generations, identified this plant as a valuable resource and called it "hunuvat chiy'a" or "humwichawa". Their ancestors used the leaves Y. brevifolia to weave sandals and baskets, in addition to harvesting seeds and flower buds to eat.

Akar pohon Yucca memiliki glikosida saponin.

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Referensi

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Bacaan lebih lanjut

• Cornett, J. W. (1999). Pohon Joshua . Palm Springs, California: Natural Trails Press.

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Tautan eksternal

• Database Cal Flora: Yucca brevifolia (pohon Joshua)
• Pengobatan Manual Jepson: Yucca brevifolia
• eFloras.org - Flora of North America: Yucca brevifolia
• eFloras.org: Peta Jangkauan
• Situs web Joshua Tree National Park

Source of the article : Wikipedia