1Up Info - A Portal with a Difference

1Up Travel - A Travel Portal with a Difference.    
1Up Info
   

Earth & EnvironmentHistoryLiterature & ArtsHealth & MedicinePeoplePlacesPlants & Animals  • Philosophy & Religion  • Science & TechnologySocial Science & LawSports & Everyday Life Wildlife, Animals, & PlantsCountry Study Encyclopedia A -Z
North America Gazetteer


You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Larrea tridentata | Creosotebush
 

Wildlife, Animals, and Plants

 


Wildlife, Animals, and Plants

 

Wildlife Species

  Amphibians

  Birds

  Mammals

  Reptiles

 

Kuchler

 

Plants

  Bryophyte

  Cactus

  Fern or Fern Ally

  Forb

  Graminoid

  Lichen

  Shrub

  Tree

  Vine


VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Larrea tridentata | Creosotebush
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Many animals bed in or under creosotebush. Domestic sheep dig shallow beds under creosotebush because it provides the only shade in the desert scrub community [105]. Desert reptiles and amphibians use creosotebush as a food source and perch site and hibernate or estivate in burrows under creosotebush, avoiding predators and excessive daytime temperatures. Desert tortoises dig their shelters under creosotebush where its roots stabilize the soil [12,30]. Seventy-one percent of desert tortoise burrows studied near San Bernadino, California, were associated with creosotebush [12]. Banner-tailed kangaroo rats frequently use creosotebush for cover [76]. Merriam's kangaroo rats often make their dens under creosotebush [76]. Some special status subspecies of kit fox rest and den in creosotebush flats in the Sonoran Desert [111]. Many small mammals browse creosotebush or consume its seeds. Creosotebush comprised 14.6 percent of black-tailed jackrabbit diets on Isla Carmen in the Gulf of California. Terminal twigs of creosotebush were consumed in proportion to their availability in black-tailed jackrabbit habitat. Ninety percent of creosotebush were browsed, and 52.5 percent of twigs on those plants were browsed [53]. Creosotebush dominated the diet of desert woodrats in the Mojave Desert of California; the desert woodrats strongly preferred creosotebush foliage of relatively low resin content [74]. Boyd and Brum [19] found that 27.5 percent of creosotebush seed mericarps on a Mojave Desert site showed signs of postdispersal rodent predation. PALATABILITY : Creosotebush is unpalatable to livestock and most browsing wildlife [8,55,70,95]. Consumption of creosotebush may be fatal to sheep [35]. A few researchers have treated creosotebush chemically to make it palatable [95,36,4]. Such treatments can produce a feed that is relatively palatable and nutritious. NUTRITIONAL VALUE : Catlin [27] evaluated the nutritional content of creosotebush browse in Arizona: Water 4.79% Ash 8.06% Crude protein 13.37% Crude fiber 11.21% Fat 9.13% Nitrogen-free extract 43.38% Reichman [86] estimated that creosotebush seeds contain 4,966 calories per gram or 11.37 calories per seed. COVER VALUE : Creosotebush in Utah provides good cover for small mammals and nongame birds, fair cover for pronghorn and upland game birds, and poor cover for bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and waterfowl [113]. VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : Creosotebush may be used to rehabilitate disturbed environments in southwestern deserts. Once established, creosotebush may improve sites for annuals that grow under its canopy by trapping fine soil, organic matter, and symbiont propagules. It may also increase water infiltration and storage [8]. Creosotebush should be transplanted rather than spot-seeded [47]. Miller and Holden [75] increased germination success by leaching seeds in running water for 12 hours. At Organ Pipe National Monument, the survival rate for creosotebush was 78 percent when seeds were germinated in grow tubes filled with nursery soil mix and allowed to harden-off before being transplanted outside. Creosotebush should be planted in the spring or fall [31,96]. Bainbridge and Virginia [8] recommend pruning seedlings heavily 1 month before transplanting. Rodent protectors are necessary [31]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : Creosotebush has been highly valued for its medicinal properties by desert peoples. It has been used to treat at least 14 illnesses [80]. Twigs and leaves may be boiled as tea, steamed, pounded into a powder, pressed into a poultice, or heated into an infusion. Creosotebush is host to an insect, Tachardiella larreae, which produces lac and deposits it on the stems of creosotebush [39]. Lac is plastic when heated but hardens again on cooling, forming a strong bond like commercial sealing wax. Lac has been used by desert peoples to seal lids on food jars [39,80]. Creosotebush contains phototoxins in its leaves that inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultures [35]. Creosotebush is used as an ornamental throughout its range [42]. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Creosotebush invades desert grasslands [6,17,22,56,58]. In 1904, creosotebush was confined to about 950 acres (380 ha) at the Santa Rita Experimental Range in Arizona [56]. By 1934, the number of acres occupied by creosotebush had increased more than 12-fold to 11,900 acres (4760 ha). By 1954, creosotebush occupied an area 73 times as great as it had 50 years before. Humphrey and Mehrhoff [56] attribute creosotebush expansion to a reduction in range fires. Buffington and Herbel [22] cite heavy grazing and periodic droughts as the major causes of the rapid increase of creosotebush and other shrubs in desert grasslands. Controlling creosotebush can be difficult because it can sprout from the root crown following disturbance [16]. A variety of herbicides may be used to kill creosotebush [37,51,77,50], but Flores and others [40] suggested that revegetation of former creosotebush sites with more desirable species is very difficult. Bush muhly (Muhlenbergia porteri) often grows under creosotebush canopies where their ranges overlap. Where creosotebush is 3.3 feet (1 m) or less tall, bush muhly shades the lower branches of creosotebush, causing its leaves to fall. In some instances, this competition may kill creosotebush [106]. Creosotebush is susceptible to severe drought during short-term climate changes like El Nino [102]. During dry years, creosotebush undergoes severe moisture stress and subsequent defoliation. Older branches do not produce new foliage, but sprouting may occur. The cumulative result of El Nino can be a 60-80 percent stem dieback. Dead stemwood remains standing within the shrub biomass for several years. Pollution from electric power generating facilities may adversely affect creosotebush. Creosotebush showed sensitivity to sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide fumigation [112].

Related categories for Species: Larrea tridentata | Creosotebush

Send this page to a friend
Print this Page

Content on this web site is provided for informational purposes only. We accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from information published on this site. We encourage you to verify any critical information with the relevant authorities.

Information Courtesy: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Fire Effects Information System

About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy | Links Directory
Link to 1Up Info | Add 1Up Info Search to your site

1Up Info All Rights reserved. Site best viewed in 800 x 600 resolution.