ELEPHANT TREE

My lovely wife and I purchased a new Toyota RAV4 with 4 wheel drive and decided to take it on a trip to give it a shakedown.



We chose Death Valley, Anza-Borrego State Park, and the San Diego area of California.We chose Death Valley first then Anza-Borrego. I had read about a very rare tree that can only be found in that area and naturally since I'm an Arborist I just had to see it. We drove to the area and followed a map and arrived at the rare and beautiful Elephant Trees (Bursera microphylla). The trees only grow to an approximate height of 10 feet, but are large when compared to other desert trees and shrubs. Elephant Trees earned their name from the bark of the main trunk, which looks like folded skin. The existence of this tree was not documented until 1937, when expeditions to the area yielded specimens. In 1987, the Elephant Tree was also discovered in the nearby foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The local indigenous people used the bark for medicinal purposes.
It furnished about the only shade around so we sat underneath the tree and enjoyed the fantastic desert flora and fauna.