This post is part four of an ongoing series exploring the science and ethnobotany of plants found throughout the Sonoran Desert region. The first four plants in this series are the Mexican trees Taxodium mucronatum (ahuehuete/Montezuma cypress), Randia echinocarpa (papache/papachi), Forchhammeria watsonii (jito), and Olneya tesota (opo/ironwood). For each plant, we are sharing a blog…
Category: Plants
El Jito: Forchhammeria watsonii
This post is part three of an ongoing series exploring the science and ethnobotany of plants found throughout the Sonoran Desert region. The first four plants in this series are the Mexican trees Taxodium mucronatum (ahuehuete/Montezuma cypress), Randia echinocarpa (papache/papachi), Forchhammeria watsonii (jito), and Olneya tesota (opo/ironwood). For each plant, we are sharing a blog…
Papachi: Randia echinocarpa
This post is part two of an ongoing series exploring the science and ethnobotany of plants found throughout the Sonoran Desert region. The first four plants in this series are the Mexican trees Taxodium mucronatum (ahuehuete/Montezuma cypress), Randia echinocarpa (papache/papachi), Forchhammeria watsonii (jito), and Olneya tesota (opo/ironwood). For each plant, we are sharing a blog…
Ahuehuete: Taxodium mucronatum
This post is part one of an ongoing series exploring the science and ethnobotany of plants found throughout the Sonoran Desert region. The first four plants in this series are the Mexican trees Taxodium mucronatum (ahuehuete/Montezuma cypress), Randia echinocarpa (papache/papachi), Forchhammeria watsonii (jito), and Olneya tesota (opo/ironwood). For each plant, we are sharing a blog…
Desert Mycorrhizae: A Plantiful Partnership
By Jack Dash In a previous blog post we discussed some of the mushrooms commonly encountered in the Sonoran Desert. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi (think of an apple on an apple tree) and are often visible above ground. But not all fungi produce visible mushrooms like macrofungi do. In this post we’ll…
Mushrooms of the Tucson Basin
By Jack Dash The Sonoran Desert is known for its strange and wonderful organisms like giant saguaro cacti, resilient desert tortoises, scavenging vultures, venomous Gila monsters and rattlesnakes, and so many more. But did you know the desert is also home to a variety of fungi? In fact, you’ll find fungi everywhere, from deserts to…
Are saguaros dying in Arizona?
By Jack Dash There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about a mass saguaro collapse caused by heat and drought. This claim, and the media storm around it, requires a bit of unpacking. The story begins with the fantastic research team at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix who have been…
Restoring Tumamoc Hill, the Heart of Tucson
Support the Save Our Saguaros campaign and help us restore Tumamoc Hill Article by Kim Franklin, Conservation Science Manager, Desert Museum and Ben Wilder, Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers This past weekend, over seventy-five people showed up on a Saturday morning to help rid “A” Mountain of buffelgrass. For many, this was their first experience…
Transplanting 101: How To Install Potted Plants In Your Southern Arizona Garden
So you’ve purchased a plant from our Fall Plant Sale. What happens next?
Building Your Desert Tortoise Garden
Plants for Desert Tortoise Food and Habitat Adopting a desert tortoise can be a dream that takes years to realize. Properly caring for a tortoise requires more than people understand and planning a habitat is not something many people feel comfortable with. While the process can be daunting, we’ll get you started with this guide!…
Desert Diaries 