Creosote Bush Seeds

Creosote bush larrea tridentata sometimes called greasewood is a large shrub found in most of arizona s counties.

Creosote bush seeds. You can find these seed capsules on the ground under the creosote bushes. It is so good at making efficient use of its. Creosote bush is not commonly available at garden centers and nurseries but you can grow it from seed. Collect creosote bush seeds in late spring through summer. Sow the seeds in a pot or seedling. The plant produces fuzzy capsules containing the seed. It has been noted poor creosotebush reproduction on level plains.

Creosote bush grows at elevations of 5 000 feet or lower and occupies thousands of square miles of arizona s sonoran desert. Cover seed with 1 8 inch of sand and keep warm in the light and barely moist until germination which occurs in 3 to 5 weeks. The method for growing creosote plants requires soaking seeds in boiling water to break through the heavy seed coat. Place several seeds in a flat pan and cover them with boiling water. Air dry the seeds and then store them in a cool dry. Upon germination the pericarp often balances on top of the seedling like a little fuzz helmet. Creosote bush also has several notable qualities and traditional medicinal uses.

However it has been suggested that the shucking and burial of creosotebush seeds by rodents may facilitate the germination and survival of creosotebush. Fire keeps creosote bush in check. In sonora it is more commonly called hediondilla. The seed itself is covered by a fuzzy pericarp which does not need to be removed. It takes decades for creosote bushes to return to areas that have been cleared of native shrubs. How to grow creosote bushes from seeds 1. The smell of creosote after a good rain is the result of many volatile oils but mostly terpene a compound found in pines limonene citrus camphor pines and rosemary methanol wood alcohol and 2 undecanone spices.

Although creosote bushes produce large numbers of fuzzy seeds at each flowering few of them are able to germinate. Larrea tridentata is known as creosote bush and greasewood as a plant as chaparral as a medicinal herb and as gobernadora in mexico. If you are in the mojave sonoran and chihuahuan deserts of western north america you are never far from a creosote bush. The trichomes are not stiff enough to penetrate animal skin and the seeds are too heavy for lofting. Soak them for a day and then plant one seed per 2 inch pot. Remove the hull from each seed. After the creosote blooms the flower turns into a small white fuzzy fruit capsule that has 5 seeds.

It is spanish for governess due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants.