The beloved and unique Joshua tree grows in one area of the entire world – the Mojave Desert.
Even its name comes from a group of Mormon settlers traveling through the Mojave in the 19 th century, who believed the trees resembled the prophet Joshua raising his arms guiding them on their travels.
But now, the Joshua tree may be dying out in Joshua Tree National Park.
A team of University of California, Riverside scientists has been studying how the ongoing drought is affecting the Joshua tree.
Cameron Barrows, an associate research ecologist at UCR’s Center for Conservation Biology, says some of the result aren’t good.
Due to the drier than normal conditions, Barrows told KNPR’s State of Nevada the tree’s seedlings are dying, rather than implanting into the ground.
Cameron Barrows, associate research ecologist, University of California, Riverside's Center for Conservation Biology