More on smoke trees

Wow!  So many of you were interested in smoke trees, I added a couple more photos I took last weekend.  I didn't get out at all this weekend.  I had to do report cards and frankly, I was just worn out from last week!

Smoke trees ONLY grow in the desert.  Additionally, their seeds MUST be scratched by the movement of water, like during a summer flood or monsoon, which we have here.  They have to be carried over sand and rocks, nicking the seed so that it can sprout.  That's why if you see a bunch of smoke trees, you know you are in an area of a wash or where water has recently run.

They are EXTREMELY difficult to transplant.  I believe the Living Desert Reserve sells them in pots.  My dad, years ago, tried to transplant one for my godmother, who lived in Cathedral City.  He finally realized, after several failures, that for every inch of the smoke tree above ground, it would have a root system of a foot under ground.  Their roots go straight down, in other words.  He finally got one for her yard and, as far as I know, it is still there today.  They don't have dangerous spikes or thorns, like the acacia or mesquite, but they do have points on them.

I often see doves resting in them here in the desert.  They are called smoke trees because of their gray color.  They only have their blossoms a few weeks every year.  The blossoms are a dark purple.

These are up in Carrizo Canyon, which is at the base of Highway 74 in Palm Desert, but you can see them at various spots throughout the desert.