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Plants of the Preserve

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is host to a remarkable variety of plant communities. The area is of botanical interest because it includes two desert vegetation zones: the Mojave (high desert) and the Colorado (low desert). The preserve’s trails represent different zones as well.

View our list of Plants

How many can you identify?

Here are photos of many of the plants found in the preserve as reported on iNaturalist. Can you identify them?

Mojave riparian (streamside) forest

The Mojave riparian forest, which marks the course of the marshes and streams through the canyon, is formed by stands of cottonwoods, willows, alders, and mesquite trees.

Each tree is uniquely adapted to survive: The mesquite has very deep roots for obtaining water; the cottonwood has fluttering leaves for capturing sunlight even down to the innermost layers of leaves; the willow has an extensive root system that allows it to colonize riparian areas more quickly than other streamside trees; the alder grows faster and taller to overshadow the canopy of other shade-makers.

Freshwater marsh

A freshwater marsh occurs where water comes to the surface in flowing streams or boggy areas. Major plants that love this environment include cattail, rushes, sedges, watercress, water-parsnip, etc. The Marsh and Mesquite trails both carry you through large marsh areas.

Desert wash

Desert wash occurs in dry streambeds where water flows only intermittently after rain. Major plants found here include catalpa, cat’s claw, rabbitbrush, baccharis, etc. Big Morongo Canyon itself is basically a wash, with the Canyon Trail providing a path from the marsh at the top to the desert below.

Creosote bush scrub

Creosote bushes occupy most of the flats and slopes of Morongo Valley. Some conspicuous plants here are creosote, Mojave yucca and juniper, bushy perennials, and annual flowers. The limiting growth factor of plants here is water, and consequently the leaves of most of these plants are small to reduce water loss. Creosote, Mojave yucca, and junipers live for hundreds of years if undisturbed.