Yucca brevifolia
| Joshua tree | |
|---|---|
| In Joshua Tree National Park, California | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Agavoideae |
| Genus: | Yucca |
| Species: | Y. brevifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Yucca brevifolia | |
| Natural range in the United States | |
| Synonyms | |
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Yucca brevifolia (also known as the Joshua tree, yucca palm, tree yucca, and palm tree yucca) is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names.
This monocotyledonous tree is native to the arid Southwestern United States (specifically California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada), and northwestern Mexico. It is confined mostly to the Mojave Desert between 400 and 1,800 m (1,300 and 5,900 ft) elevation. It thrives in the open grasslands of Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley in Joshua Tree National Park. Other regions with a large population of the trees can be found northeast of Kingman, Arizona, in Mohave County; and along U.S. 93 just south of the community of Meadview, Arizona a route which has been designated the Joshua Tree Parkway of Arizona. The trees are also abundant in Saddleback Butte State Park 135 kilometres (85 miles) north of Downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County's Antelope Valley. The common name, Joshua tree, is derived from Christian iconography.