Desert Holly
Desert Holly (Atriplex hymenelytra)Common Names:
Desert holly, desert shrub
Description:
Desert holly is a rounded, silvery-gray shrub native to desert regions, typically growing between 1.5 to 3 feet tall. Its light-colored leaves are a unique adaptation, produced by salt within the plant, to reflect sunlight and reduce water consumption. Despite its resemblance to European holly due to its twisted, toothed leaves, desert holly is not related to it.Botanical Characteristics:
Shrub Size: 310 decimeters, rounded, silver-scaly.Stem:
Simple proximally, erect; many spreading to ascending branches.Leaves:
Petioled with blades measuring 1245 mm, wide-ovate to round, thick, with irregular-sharply dentate margins.Pistillate Inflorescence:
Occasionally terminal; bracts in fruit sessile to short-stalked, free, 615(20) mm, round to reniform, entire to crenate.Habitat:
Desert holly thrives on slopes, in washes, and within scrub environments below 1500 meters in elevation. It is found east of the Sierra Nevada, extending to southwestern Utah, Arizona, and northern Mexico.Flowering Period:
January to AprilDesert holly's distinctive silver hue and adaptation strategies make it a notable plant in desert ecosystems, showcasing nature's ingenuity in surviving harsh environments.
Ivanpah Valley
Shrublands: Brittlebrush series, Creosote bush series, Creosote bush - white bursage series, Desert-holly series, Fourwing saltbrush series, Greasewood series, ...
Piute Valley - Sacramento Mountains
Shrublands: Black bush series, Brittlebrush series, Creosote bush series, Creosote bush - white bursage series, Desert-holly series, Scadscale series, Tamarisk ...
Panamint Valley:
Shrublands: Brittlebrush series, Creosote bush series, Creosote bush - white bursage series, Desert-holly series, Fourwing saltbrush series, Greasewood series, ...
Silurian Valley - Devil's Playground
Shrublands: Brittlebrush series, Creosote bush series, Creosote bush - white bursage series, Desert-holly series, Fourwing saltbrush series, Greasewood series, ...
Mojave Valley - Granite Mountains:
Shrublands: Allscale series, Brittlebrush series, Creosote bush series, Creosote bush - white bursage series, Desert-holly series, Fourwing saltbrush series, ...
Hollow Hills Wilderness - Mojave Desert
Desert tortoise and Mojave fringe-toed lizard have been seen here. Creosote, desert holly and scale scrub plant communities prevail throughout this area.
Surprise Canyon Wilderness
Creosote bush scrub and desert holly dot the alluvial fans, while the rocky canyon walls support the endangered Panamint daisy. Cottonwood and willows grow ...
Borrego Valley - West Mesa:
Desert-holly series, Elephant tree stands, Mojave yucca series, Nolina series, Ocotillo series, Teddy-bear cholla series, White bursage series.
Creosote bush - Mojave Desert
It also occurs as a transitional species in desert grasslands, mesquite woodlands, ... Creosotebush also occurs in the Mojave Desert scrub association with ...
Lucerne - Johnson Valleys and Hills
Grasslands: Alkali sacaton series, Big galleta series, Desert needlegrass series, ... bush - white bursage series, Desert-holly series, Fourwing saltbrush series, ...
Badwater Region
The predominant natural plant communities on fans are Desert-holly series and, higher up the fans, Creosote bush series. Desert-holly series is replaced by ...
Mushroom Rock & Lake Manly Terrace
The predominant natural plant communities on fans are Desert-holly series and, ... Desert-holly series is replaced by Allscale series toward the southern end of ...
Ecological Subregions of California: 322Ba
Grasslands: Alkali sacaton series, Desert sand - verbena series, Indian ricegrass ... bush - white bursage series, Desert-holly series, Fourwing saltbush series, ...
The White Heart
The most flourishing shrub was the desert-holly with gray, frosted leaves shaped exactly like the leaves of Christmas holly, and small lavender berries.
