Creosote bush

Distinctive, sweet and fragrant, the creosote bush is one of the oldest and most abundant desert shrubs.

Larrea (creosote bush)

The oldest living thing on earth. Description: Larrea tridentata is a unimpressive looking desert bush which has many common names such as cresote bush, greasewood and gobernodora. Cresote bush is technically the oldest living thing on Earth. When the plant gets to 30 to 90 years old its branches begin to die. At that point the plant splits in two and the old plant dies off as its clone lives on. The clonal colonies form rings of bushes. Individual bushes can grow up to 4 m tall, but usually…

Pictures and description of Larrea tridentata, Creosote Bush.

Creosote-bush Larrea tridentata Greasewood

Delicate and graceful in form, Larrea tridentata (Creosote Bush) is an evergreen shrub of open-branching habit with slender, erratic stems bearing tiny, resinous, dark green leaves composed of 2 leaflets. Very aromatic when wet, they perfume the air with an intriguing and refreshing desert aroma. A profusion of small, yellow, velvety flowers bloom on and off throughout the year. They are followed by fluffy seeds covered with shiny white or rusty hairs that facilitate wind dispersal. A…

Creosote bush....smells heavenly after a rain.

Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata)

Creosote bush has an unromantic name but possesses wonderful medicinal properties and fascinating adaptive abilities, being well suited to arid deserts. Read here for more creosote bush information.

Creosote grows through the formation of clonal rings, or separate living crowns all derived from a single seed, and may represent the oldest living individual organisms on Earth.