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Larrea tridentata  (DC.) Coville
South american creosote bush
© 2005 Steve Matson
© 2005 Steve Matson
© 2005 Steve Matson
© 2023 Steve Matson
© 2005 Steve Matson
© 2023 Mike Russler
© 2019 Matt Berger
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© 2020 Linda Pardy
© 2016 Diane Etchison
© 2024 Olesya Konovalova
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© 2023 Mike Russler
© 2024 Erin Bergman
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© 2019 Daria Snider
© 2022 R.A. Chasey
© 2023 R.A. Chasey
© 2024 Olesya Konovalova
© 2024 Olesya Konovalova
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2023 Julia Markey
© 2023 Keir Morse
© 2023 Keir Morse
© 2023 Steve Matson
© 2023 Julia Markey
© 2018 Bill Schmidt
© 2023 Mike Russler
© 2023 Mike Russler
© 2023 Mike Russler
© 2021 Ron Vanderhoff
Larrea tridentata is a shrub that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Genus: Larrea
Family: Zygophyllaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Creosote Bush Scrub
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS + POWO

Alternate Names:
JEFLarrea divaricata ssp. tridentata
JEFLarrea tridentata var. arenaria
Information about  Larrea tridentata from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (LATR2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Description & Distribution: Larrea tridentata, called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant,[2] chaparral as a medicinal herb,[3] and gobernadora (Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. In Sonora, it is more commonly called hediondilla;[4] Spanish hediondo "smelly". It is a flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae. The specific name tridentata refers to its three-toothed leaves.[5] Distribution L. tridentata in Anza Borrego Desert State Park Larrea tridentata is a prominent species in the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts of western North America, and its range includes those and other regions in portions of southeastern California, Arizona, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States, and Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Zacatecas, Durango and San Luis Potosì in Mexico. The species grows as far east as Zapata County, Texas, along the Rio Grande southeast of Laredo near the 99th meridian west.[6] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)

Learn more about Larrea tridentata: Larrea tridentata Jepson video: (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2025).