Lechugilla (Agave Lechugilla) Its common name in Chicahua Lechuguilla means little lettuce. It is only found in the Chihuahuan Desert. It only flowers once in its life and then dies. The leaves on this plant are very tough, sharp and can cut clothing and even leather. It is toxic to cattle and sheep if ingested. However, the flowers are a source of nutrients for insects, bats, and some birds. The water stored in the the stalks is rich in salts and minerals and is sold in Mexico as a sports drink.
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Nolina Microcarpa Is native to Mexico, and Southwestern U.S. states such as Arizona, and New Mexico. It can grow up to 2 meters wide. The leaves on this plant are thick, rough, and jagged. Nolina Microcarpa provides food for white-tailed deer but, is toxic to goats and sheep. Humans can eat the plant. This plant can be used for thatching (roofing made of dry grass), mats, basket making, brushes, rope and cooking tools.
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Sotol (Dasylirion) is a slow-growing plant and blooms a yellow fruit, in the months of May, June and July. Its single unbranched trunk is about 16in. thick growing up to 4ft 11in. tall. The leaves grow into a sphere shape. The flowering stem can grow 16ft tall and 3cm in diameter. They use the fruit on this plant to make an alcoholic drink. The sugery trunks and leaf bases have been used to feed cattle during ddroughts. It grows best in dry soil with low water amounts and lots of sunshine. The natives used it as a fire plow.
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Ceilla (Euphorbia Antisyphilitica) The candeilla plant is a small succulent plant that grows in bunches and looks like it's all stems. The plant has a bluish white color and only grows to a few couple feet high. This is a true desert plant and prefers hot dry conditions. Young plants grow in single clumps, and as they mature they grow into a large circular pattern. The stems produce enough food to maintain the plant and help it grow. The Candeilla blossoms are only 2-3 mm in diameter. Candeilla plants protect itself and conserves moisture by coating its stems with a fine hard wax. The chewing gum indstry is the biggest consumer of candeilla wax, followed closely by the cosmetic industry. Candelila wax is also used in polishes, adhesives, plastics, and circuit boards and precision molding applications. The Candelilla plant is Federally protected in the US.
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Tarbush (Flourensia Cernua) Is also known as an American tarwort. It is a shrub that can grow over 13 feet horizontally and 7 feet tall.
The braches are covered with thick leaves, the ends on the leaves are smooth and wavy. This shrub has been studied as a potential food for sheep but the flower can be toxic to sheep, goats, and cattle. Naturally livestock avoid it because it has a peppery taste but, because it has become abundant in the Chihuhuan Desert it has sparked a interest in its value as food for local domestic animals, it contains a high amount of protein and is similar to alfalfa in nutritional value. In Mexico it is made into a tea to treat indigestion and diarrhea. |
Chisos Mountain Hedgehog Cactus measures 3-6 inches tall with deep blue green stems and during the months of March and June develop tri colored petals of red, white and fuschia at the tips. Green fruits covered in wool and bristles appear in the months of May and June. Each fruit contains 200-250 seeds. The Chisos Mtn hedgehog cactus grows at the base of the mountain at a elevation around 1,050-2,390 feet and is found on bare soil. Due to the climate changes , extreme dryness and predators such as Jack rabbits and other rodents and collectors of the flowering plant this cactus is threatned and is currently on the endangered list.
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