More than you wanted to know about Larrea tridentata

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Posted by G.U. on October 07, 2003 at 21:49:55:

In Reply to: Name of plant needed posted by Stupid One on October 06, 2003 at 15:50:08:

You've already been given the common name, creosote bush (although I prefer the smell of sage), but this plant is more than a silent resident of the desert. Larrea tridentata is one of the defining characteristics of a geologic/environmental zone known as the Lower Sonoran Life Zone, where it is often the dominant plant of the zone. And, in general, where ever this plant is found, you have the possibility of encountering the Valley Fever fungus, the etiologic agent of that disease (a.k.a. "coccidioidomycosis"). The plant has a long history of use as a medicinal plant, and was used for a variety of ailments. By coincidence, I once worked for a small pharmaceutical company that determined that one of the compounds produced by the leaves and small stems of the plant, called "masoprocol", was actually quite effective in treating two of the common problems of Type 2 diabetes; i.e., high blood sugar and triglycerides. Alas, the company went bankrupt and the drug never made it to market. But we were convinced that it worked.

But the most interesting thing I know about this plant, I learned from Janet Westbrook, the web mistress of the Death Valley Tourist Information web site. The creosote bush grows as a connected community through their root system; they are physically joined together. Some of these "communities" have been carbon dated as being 10,000 years old, making them the oldest living things on earth!

Here is a web site with some other information, if you haven't been bored to death (valley):

http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/374.htm

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