Red Rock Canyon supports over 600 plant species, 15 of which are found nowhere else in the world. 9 distinct ecotones span a 5,000' elevation change from the desert floor to Spring Mountains, including riparian areas deep within canyons and white fir forests on the highest slopes. Red Rock Canyon is part of the Mojave Desert, which covers over 54,000 square miles of basin-range topography across eastern California, southern Nevada and western Arizona. See hiking trails in Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park and Red Rock Canyon.

Desert Sage favors alluvial slopes from creosote scrub communities to pinyon-juniper woodlands

Desert succulents close their stomates during the day to minimize water loss

Western Redbud is a leguminous shrub that favors xeric, gravelly canyons and slopes

Beavertail Cactus is named so for its relatively smooth pads; Native Americans used the pulp to soothe abrasions

Hairy Daisies occupy rocky crevices from low-lying desert to pinyon-juniper woodlands

While typically associated with higher elevations, Flax is found among pinyon-juniper woodlands of the eastern Mojave

Desert Marigold have tiny hairs on their stems that reflect light, block ultraviolet light and moderate leaf temperature

Desert Globe Mallow has been found to be an effect defense against certain invasive plant species

The Joshua Tree - Yucca brevifolia, is a member of the Agave family

Mariposa Lily range in color across the Mojave, typically lighter in the east and darker orange in the west

The hedgehog (or Calico) cactus; it opens stomates for gas exchange at night and stores carbon dioxide in the form of an organic acid

Desert Canterbury Bell grows in lower elevations and gravelly soils, like other Phacelia species, it can cause contact dermatitis

There are several Penstemon species in the Mojave with a wide geographic range

Cliffrose is an important food source for mule deer and bighorn sheep

Native Americans harvested Utah Agave stalks when they were just starting to grow and were most nutritious and palatable

Four O' Clocks are named so for their tendency to open petals in the late afternoon and remain open all night

Manzanita - which translates to Little Apple in Spanish - produces edible berries in late spring

Soil depth, alkalinity, exposure and moisture have a profound impact on where Red Rock's 600 plant species can be found

Creosote bushes can live thousands of years and have significant pharmacological applications

Overlapping creosote, blackbrush and rabbitbrush communities offer the greatest variety of flowering bushes in Red Rock Canyon

Hedgehog Cactus flowers range from pale yellow to a deep magenta and are among the first cacti to flower in the desert

Juniper berries are an important food source for browsers such as deer and wild horses