DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Yucca brevifolia | Joshua Tree 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Joshua tree is one of the most characteristic plants of the Mohave
Desert [37] and extends southward to the Mohave-Sonoran Desert ecotone
[3].  This species grows from southern California, Mexico, and western
Arizona eastward into southern Nevada and southwestern Utah [23,46].  It
reaches its greatest abundance in the vicinity of Joshua Tree National
Monument, California [21].  Var. jaegeriana grows primarily in the
eastern portion of the Mohave; var. herbertii is restricted to parts of
the western Mohave Desert in California [25,28].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES30  Desert shrub
   FRES35  Pinyon - juniper
   FRES40  Desert grasslands


STATES : 
     AZ  CA  NV  UT  MEXICO


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     DEVA  GRCA  JOTR  LAME


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    3  Southern Pacific Border
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    7  Lower Basin and Range
   12  Colorado Plateau


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K023  Juniper - pinyon woodland
   K039  Blackbrush
   K041  Creosotebush


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   239  Pinyon - juniper


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Joshua tree is a climax dominant in unique woodlands of the Mohave
Desert.  It also occurs with gramas (Bouteloua spp.) and galletas
(Hilaria spp.) in Joshua tree grasslands of the eastern Mohave [17], and
codominates in desert shrub communities with creosotebush (Larrea
tridentata), saltbush (Atriplex spp.), and bladder sage (Salazaria
mexicana) [29].  Joshua tree is listed as an indicator in the following
community type classifications (cts):

Area                    Classification             Authority

  CA: San Bernardino      chaparral, woodland,     
      Mts.                & forest cts               Minnich 1976 
      Mohave Desert       general veg. cts           Thorne and others 1981
      Mohave Desert       desert scrub cts           Vasek and Barbour 1977
      San Gabriel         general veg. cts           Hanes 1976
      -----               general veg. cts           Thorne 1976
s CA                      desert cts                 Johnson 1976
  CA, NV: Mohave Desert   desert scrub cts           Brown 1982

Related categories for Species: Yucca brevifolia | Joshua Tree