A Guide to Plants of the Northern Chihuahuan Desert

The Chihuahuan desert is the second largest in North America and its northern, or United States, portion occupies southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and Texas west of the Pecos River. Hot, dry, and windy, the desert is home to a unique community of plants that have adapted to its harsh environment. Visitors to the area will find this volume a practical identification guide, offering descriptions of seventy-five representative species of northern Chihuahuan Desert plants. Each illustrated profile includes the plant's common and Latin name and a brief description, as well as its role in human history, its relationship to the surrounding flora and fauna, medicinal uses, nutritional value, habitat, toxicity, and other interesting facts. Hot, dry, and windy, the Northern Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico and west Texas is home to a unique community of plants. The seventy-five representative species in this guide illustrate diverse strategies for adapting to the harsh environment. Shrubs and grasses are prominent, and creosote bush and sotol are dominant plants Dodson includes common and Latin plant names along with information on each plants strategies for survival ; cultural history ; medicinal, nutritional, and toxic properties ; along with accounts of the origins of the plants' names, descriptions of relevant geology, ecology, and fauna ; and discussions of human impact through time Plants are arranged in five sections: Trees and Shrubs, Succulents, Cacti, Wildflowers (further grouped by flower color), and Nonflowering Plants. Each plant profile is illustrated with a drawing by botanist Robert DeWitt Ivey and a photograph by the author