ABOUT THE COLLECTION

Desert Plants is a unique botanical journal published by The University of Arizona for Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum. This journal is devoted to encouraging the appreciation of indigenous and adapted arid land plants. Desert Plants publishes a variety of manuscripts intended for amateur and professional desert plant enthusiasts. A few of the diverse topics covered include desert horticulture, landscape architecture, desert ecology, and history. First published in 1979, Desert Plants is currently published biannually with issues in June and December.

Digital access to this material is made possible by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum, and the University Libraries at the University of Arizona.


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Contact Desert Plants at DesertPlants@cals.arizona.edu.


Table of Contents

Recent Submissions

  • Distribution of the Exotic Mustard Brassica tournefortii in the Mohawk Dunes and Mountain, Arizona

    Malusa, Jim; Halvorson, Bill; Angell, Deborah; Sonoran Desert Field Station, US Geological Survey, School of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona (University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2003-06)
    Ample winter-spring rains in southwestern Arizona in early 2001 allowed us to map the range of the exotic Brassica tournefortii in the Mohawk Sand Dunes. The mustard has colonized habitat ranging from creosote flats to dune crests, but it is most successful along ephemeral watercourses, the base of north-facing dunes, and along roads. An estimated 80-90% of the Mohawk Dunes, in both the Mohawk Valley and San Cristobal Valley, are host to B. tournefortii, with only the southernmost portion of the dunes uncolonized. Outside of the dunes, the mustard was found largely along roads frequented by the Border Patrol.
  • Propogation of Taxosium mucronatum from Softwood Cuttings

    St. Hilaire, Rolston; Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, New Mexico State University (University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2003-06)
    Mexican bald cypress (Taxodium mucronatum Ten.) is propagated from seed, but procedures have not been reported for the propagation of this ornamental tree by stem cuttings. This study evaluated the use of softwood cuttings to propagate Mexican bald cypress. Softwood cuttings were collected on 16 October 1998 and 1999 from Las Cruces and Los Lunas, New Mexico, treated with either 3000 or 8000 ppm of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and held under intermittent mist in a greenhouse for 13 weeks. In 1998, cuttings sampled from one of two Los Lunas trees showed 48% and 82% rooting when treated with IBA at 3000 or 8000 ppm, respectively. Root number and average root length were 9 and 3 times greater, respectively, with 8000 ppm IBA than with 3000 ppm IBA. More 1998 cuttings rooted (65%) than 1999 cuttings (10%) when means were combined over IBA treatments. Results indicate that efficient propagation of Mexican bald cypress by cuttings depends on exogenous IBA and selection of stock plants amenable to root formation.
  • Hunting the Elusive Organ Pipe Cactus on San Esteban Island in the Gulf of California

    Bowen, Thomas; The Southwest Center, The University of Arizona (University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2003-06)
  • Botanizing in South Africa

    Starr, Greg (University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2003-06)
  • Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden

    Oliver, Ian; Karoo Botanical Garden (University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2003-06)
  • Desert Plants, Volume 19, Number 1 (June 2003)

    University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2003-06