The Western Joshua Tree is an evergreen succulent in the agave subfamily of Asparagaceae the asparagus family. Joshua Trees are arguably the most well-known, imposing, and spectacular of all Yuccas a group that includes upwards of 40 different species of plants, all with thick, fleshy tissues adapted to store water.
Native to the arid southwestern United States, Joshua Trees are indelibly associated with the Mojave Desert, where they are considered a major indicator species for the deserts health throughout its geographical reach across southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and down into northwestern Mexico. Joshua trees grow at desert floor elevations all the way up to over 7,000 feet. They can withstand temperature extremes from well below freezing to relentless desert heat in excess of 120°F.
Yucca brevifolia is the largest of all Yuccas, typically growing to heights of around 40 feet at full maturity. The tallest known Joshua Tree is more than 50-feet tall and the stoutest boasts an amazing trunk girth of 4-1/2 feet across (14 feet around). Achieving this monumental size takes centuries, as Joshua Trees grow at a rate of just 23 per year when young, and half that rate after their first decade of life. While this pace may seem sluggish, it is impressively robust compared to the growth rates of most desert species and is one of the reasons Joshua Trees dominate the Mojave ecosystem. Joshua Trees can live for hundreds of years, and some individual specimens are thought to be more than a thousand years old.
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