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Joshua trees, Yucca brevifolia, are monocotyledonous trees found only in North America in the states of California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. Confined mostly to the Mojave Desert between 600-1800 m (2,000-6,000 feet), they thrive in the open grasslands of Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley in Joshua Tree National Park.

Joshua trees can grow from seed or from an underground rhizomeIn botany, a rhizome is a horizontal, usually underground stem of a plant that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Also called a creeping rootstalk or rootstock. Many plants have rhizomes that serve to spread the plant by vegetative reproduct of another Joshua tree. They are slow growers: new seedlings may reach a height of 10-20 cm in their first few years, then only about 10 cm per year thereafter. The trunk of a Joshua tree is made of thousands of small fiberFiber ( American English) or fibre ( International English) is elongated stringy natural, man-made or manufactured material. In the case of natural fibers, they often tie together the parts of natural creatures. Natural vegetable fibers, generally consists and lacks annual growth ringPinus taeda Growth rings can be seen in a horizontal cross section cut through the trunk of a tree. Visible rings result from the change in growth speed through the seasons of the year, thus one ring usually marks the passage of one year in the life of ths, making it difficult to determine the tree's age. This tree is not very sturdy because of its shallow root area and top-heavy branch system. But, if it survives the rigors of the desert, it can live a couple hundred years. The tallest tree in the park is about 13 m (40 feet) tall.

One of the most beautiful spectacles in springSpring is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. Astronomically, it begins with the spring equinox (around March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, and September 23 in the Southern Hemisphere), and ends with the summer solstice (around June 21 in the Nor is the creamy white blossoms of flowerA flower is the reproductive organ of those plants classified as angiosperms ( flowering plants; Division Magnoliophyta). The function of a flower is to produce seeds through sexual reproduction''. For the higher plants, seeds are the next generation, anding Joshua trees. These flowers appear from February to late April. Joshua trees do not branch until after they bloom, and they don't bloom every year. Like most desert plants, their blooming is dependent on rainfall at the proper time. They also need a winter freeze before they will bloom.

Once they bloom, the trees are pollinated by the yucca moth , which spreads pollen while laying her eggs inside the flower. The mothA moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. Both are of the order Lepidoptera. People who study or collect these insects are called lepidopterists. Most species of moths are nocturnal, but there are crepuscular and day-flying species. They can b larvaA larva ( Latin; plural larvae is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a bue feed on the seeds of the tree, but enough seeds are left behind to produce more trees.

The name Joshua tree was given by a band of Mormons who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid- 19th century. The tree's unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky.