Ziziphus obtusifolia
Encyclopedia
Ziziphus obtusifolia is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family
known by several common names, incluging lotebush, graythorn, gumdrop tree, and Texas buckthorn. It is native to the southwestern United States and much of Mexico, where it grows in shrubby and scrubby desert habitat, grassland
s and prairie
, woodlands, and other habitat types. It can be found among desert plants such as honey mesquite, smooth mesquite
, ocotillo and creosote. This is a shrub
with many branches forming a thorny tangle which may exceed 3 meters tall and approach 4 meters at times. The leaves are deciduous
and are absent for much of the year, leaving the shrub a naked thicket of gray twigs coated in waxy whitish hairs. The ends of the twigs taper into sharp-tipped thorns. The thick, glandular gray or green leaves have oval blades 1 or 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a cluster of several dull yellow-green flowers. The fruit is a mealy, juicy drupe
containing one seed.
The fruit provides food for many species of birds and mammals. Birds use the shrub as a nesting site and the southern plains woodrat
uses the twigs to build its houses.
Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species. The Rhamnaceae have a worldwide distribution, but are more common in the subtropical and tropical regions...
known by several common names, incluging lotebush, graythorn, gumdrop tree, and Texas buckthorn. It is native to the southwestern United States and much of Mexico, where it grows in shrubby and scrubby desert habitat, grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s and prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
, woodlands, and other habitat types. It can be found among desert plants such as honey mesquite, smooth mesquite
Prosopis laevigata
Prosopis laevigata, commonly known as Smooth Mesquite, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae family, that is native to Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, and northwestern Argentina . In Mexico, the species is found in the nation's the central highlands, the lowlands of southern...
, ocotillo and creosote. This is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
with many branches forming a thorny tangle which may exceed 3 meters tall and approach 4 meters at times. The leaves are deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
and are absent for much of the year, leaving the shrub a naked thicket of gray twigs coated in waxy whitish hairs. The ends of the twigs taper into sharp-tipped thorns. The thick, glandular gray or green leaves have oval blades 1 or 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a cluster of several dull yellow-green flowers. The fruit is a mealy, juicy drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
containing one seed.
The fruit provides food for many species of birds and mammals. Birds use the shrub as a nesting site and the southern plains woodrat
Southern Plains Woodrat
The Southern Plains Woodrat is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northwest Mexico and in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas in the United States.-References:...
uses the twigs to build its houses.