Smyrna times., 1937-09-16
Named by Mormons.

MormonS gave the tree its Bib
ical name because it pointed the
way to their Promised Land. Less
wander-weary travellers of today,
however, have observed that it also
points in every other direction, in
Guiding up and down. The pictur-
esque folk name has survived, new
ertheless, since this grotesque
growth almost requires a stranger
label than tree yucca or yucca
brevifolia. Praying tree is another
nickname for this devout shrub, be-
cause its many forked branches
Weirdly resemble arms flung heaV-
onward in prayer.
THE Joshua trees trunk, a foot
or two in diameter, is a single col
umn as far as, or slightly above,
the normal height of man. Then
it bursts suddenly into clusters of
branches, each branch dividing and
each division Subdividing, expand
ing into a globular tangle of forks
from 10 to 40 feet high. The tallest
on record, over so feet. was demol-
ished by vandals. Unmolested, it
may reach an age of a century or
two.
Like other species Of the yucca,
it is desert-blooming lily, as its
spring flowers betray. No doubt do
ing the best it can under the cir
cumstances, the Joshua tree bios
som still has no lilylike charm. 1t
is whitish, but not white. Its frag-
rance recalls that of the toadstool
rather than that Of its elegant East
er sister.
Dead leaves, like broken bayo-
nets, form protective thatch cling
ing to trunk and branches. The lit
tie wood rat is said to tug these dis
carded weapons to the mouth Of
his hole to build spiked barricade
against intruders.
Has Many Uses.
1.-THE Joshua trees formidable ar
senal does not frighten off the sly
little wild things with which the
'lifeless' desert teens. Humming
birds, so populous in the southwest
ern desert areas, fiutter over its
blossoms. SCOTS oriole accounts for
many a dash Of yellow on the gray
green Joshua, where the cupshaped
fiber nest is hung among the trees
protective spikes.
'Resourceful Indians formerly
turned to the Joshua to serve do
mestic purposes. It's seeds were
pounded to meal for Indian mush.
Fibers from leaves were woven
into baskets, ropes, hats, and even
horse blankets. Pulp from the stem
was converted into a kind of soap.
Later attempts to use the tree
were less successful. Desert home
steaders who tried to build Joshua
log cabins found themselves pro-
vided with all too collapsible homes.
The pulp, however, made paper.
Several issues of newspapers in the
United States and England were
even printed on it, but finally the
project was abandoned as unprofit-
able.
The lightweight layers of wood
which can be sawed from the tree
make excellent protective tubes
around the bases of young fruit
trees. Because the wooden sheets
are pliable in one direction and
rigid in the other, they have value,
as surgical splints to protect broken.
bones. Rarity Of the Joshua tree,
however, prevents extensive indus
trial use.
Groves are known only in half
hundred spots of southwestern
United States. They are mysterious
ly dependent for perpetuation on the
yucca moth, a special species of
which is the only means of pollina-
ton. The moth unwittingly performs
its duty by the Joshua tree when
gathering a ball of pollen to plug
up the hole in which its eggs are
laid" "