Horticulture Classes for Desert Plants

Phreatophytes

• A phreatophyte is a plant that uses an incredibly long and deep system of roots in order to draw water from a desert's underlying water table. According to the University of New Mexico, two of the most abundant examples of phreatophytes in North America are creosote bushes and mesquite, such as screwbean, velvet, and honey mesquite. Creosote bushes utilize double root systems: one that penetrates deep underground to get at the water table, and one that spreads out radially across the desert's surface for soaking up any available surface water. Mesquite plants, alternatively, are small spiny trees, which--as the above source notes--have the longest roots of any phreatophyte. The roots can reach up to 80 feet long.

Succulents

• Succulents, which are known botanically as xerophytes, are plants that have adapted to dry desert climates by developing innovative methods for storing the surface water they receive, as opposed to growing roots for seeking out supplemental ground water. As University of Minnesota Extension notes, succulents typically have few if any leaves, which helps them prevent water loss due to transpiration. The most common examples are cacti; which is a family of desert plants representing some 2,000 different species. In general, cacti are characterized by having thick, fleshy stocks for storing water, and sharp thorns or needles on their exteriors for dissuading thirsty scavengers. Besides cacti, other types of succulents, as University of Minnesota Extension mentions, include century, medicine, jade and snake plants.

Ephemerals

• Ephemeral flowers are similar to annuals, only instead of blooming once a year, their life cycles can be much shorter, lasting just months or weeks, according to Desert USA. Unlike phreatophytes and succulents, which have adapted to endure the arid conditions, ephemerals have adapted to develop and spread their seeds rapidly, before dying because of them. Examples of desert ephemerals include the Mojave aster, desert paintbrush and desert sand verbena.

Perennials

• Desert perennials, such as the octillo and the desert lily, are similar to ephemerals in that they adapted to complete their reproductive processes as quickly as possible. However, instead of dying after they bloom, perennials go into a period of dormancy, which allows them to ride out the arid conditions of a desert's dry season until water is available.