Ferns—commonly, plants of dank woods and other moist habitats—seem entirely out of place in the desert; nevertheless, some members of the fern family have overcome drought conditions. The GOLDFERN is common on rocky ledges, where it persists by means of special drought-resistant cells.
Among the smaller perennials are many that add to spring flower displays when conditions of moisture and temperature are favorable. Perennials do not need to mature their seeds before the coming of summer as do the ephemerals; a majority start blossoming somewhat later in the spring, and gaily flaunt their flowers long after the annuals have faded and died. When the heat and drought of early summer begin to bear down, they gradually die back, surviving the “long dry” by their persistent roots and larger stems. One of the most noticeable and beautiful of this group of small perennials fairly common in the monument is PARRY’S PENSTEMON. It occurs in scattered clumps on well-drained slopes along the base of Tanque Verde Ridge. The showy rose-magenta flowers and the glossy-green leaves arise from erect stems that may grow 4 feet tall in favorable seasons.
Among the first of the shrubby perennials to cover the rocky hillsides with a blanket of winter and springtime bloom is the BRITTLEBUSH. Masses of yellow sunflowerlike blossoms are borne on long stems that exude a gum which was chewed by the Indians and was also burned as incense in early mission churches.
A conspicuous perennial that survives the dry season as an underground bulb is BLUEDICKS. Although it doesn’t occur in massed bloom, it does add spots of color to the desert scene. Usually appearing from February to May, bluedicks has violet flower clusters on long, slender, erect stems. The bulbs were dug and eaten by Pima and Papago Indians.
Although neither conspicuous nor attractive, the common TRIANGLE BURSAGE is an important part of the paloverde-saguaro community in the Tucson Mountains. A low, rounded, white-barked shrub, bursage has small, colorless flowers without petals. (Being wind-pollinated, the flowers do not need to attract insects.)
One of the handsome shrubs abundant in the high desert along the base of Tanque Verde Ridge is the JOJOBA (ho-HOH-bah), or deernut. Its thick, leathery, evergreen leaves are especially noticeable in winter and furnish excellent browse for deer. The flowers are small and yellowish, but the nutlike fruits are large and edible, although bitter. They were eaten raw or parched by the Indians, and were pulverized by early-day settlers for use as a coffee substitute.
Among the attractive flowering shrubs are the INDIGOBUSHES, of which there are several species adapted to the desert environment. The local, low-growing indigobushes are especially ornamental when covered with masses of deep-blue flowers in spring.
Another small shrub, noticeable from February to May because of its large, tassel-like pink-to-red blossoms and its fernlike leaves is FAIRY-DUSTER. Deer browse on its delicate foliage.
The PAPER FLOWER, growing in dome-shaped clumps covered with yellow flowers, sometimes blooms throughout the entire year. The petals bleach and dry and may remain on the plant weeks after the blossoms have faded.
Quick to attract attention because of their apparent lack of foliage, the JOINTFIRS, of which there are several desert species, grow in clumps of harsh, stringy, yellow-green, erect stems. The skin or outer bark of the stems performs the usual functions of leaves, which on these plants have been reduced to scales. Small, fragrant, yellow blossom clusters, appearing at the stem joints in spring, are visited by insects attracted to their nectar.