The plants that lend their name to California’s Joshua Tree National Park are not, technically, trees. They’re the largest ...

Iconic and hardy, Joshua trees are stunning symbols of the American Southwest. Known scientifically as Yucca brevifolia, these hardy plants are desert-dwelling specimens with a unique partnership. To ...

Southern California’s famed Joshua trees are flowering months ahead of schedule, baffling scientists and raising fears about the future of the species. The Mojave Desert succulents typically bloom ...

You’ll see it just east of Yucca Valley, along the busy Twentynine Palms Highway, a mysterious sign with four huge red letters — MDLT — underlined by a fat arrow pointing north. It’s only when you’re ...

If there’s one thing yucca plants don’t need, it’s excessive pampering. These plants naturally grow in the arid regions of the American Southwest, Mexico, and the Caribbean—so they can handle droughts ...

As the legend goes, it was 19th-century Mormon settlers who gave the Joshua tree its name, inspired by the plant’s bent and clubbed branches, which recall the biblical Joshua raising his arms in ...