A Southwest silhouette
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Lending its name to both this national park and an international chart-topper, the Joshua tree is one of the most distinctive plants in the American West. This many-armed monocot grows mainly in the Mojave Desert around the meeting point of Arizona, California, and Nevada. The plant typically lives about 150 years, spreading to form Seussian shapes against sci-fi skies. Have you spotted a stand of these strange trees on a Southwest road trip?
No telescope required
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