Vegetation Vegetation refers to the amount of plants , herbs , trees , bushes and other wildlife in the world . Out of the wastelands explored in the Fallout series ( eg . New California ) , vegetation is rare and exists in the rare form of cacti and small weeds . This is because of the nuclear winters and nuclear bomb dropping making the sands of the earth an inhospitable place . Core Region . In New California , vegetation is rare due to the amount of nuclear missiles dropped . This makes any herbs , trees or wildlife found precious to some , though worthless to others . However , by the time of " Fallout 2 " vegetation and wildlife have become common with many plants and herbs becoming available . However , they are by no means healthy as some will attack wanderers and some are poisonous . Areas like Shady Sands and Vault City , however , have managed to reintroduce wildlife such as bushes , trees and grass to the wasteland . Vault City did so with their G . E . C . K ; how the New California Republic managed to do so is currently unknown . The only pure water source in New California is the Colorado River , which after flowing from the Mojave Wasteland , enters Baja California and California , both part of New California and both part of the NCR . A reason why plants may have started growing more abundantly in New California in the recent past is due to the discovery of the Colorado River and a source of pure water . However , due to wordings about New California , the only true ecological parts are Arroyo , Shady Sands and Vault City , making it the least ecologically developed wasteland . Capital Wasteland . The Capital Wasteland is a wasteland that stretches from Raven Rock to Rivet City and also comprises of the ruins of Washington D . C . However , the bulk of the Capital Wasteland , which is largely inhospitable , does contain some plants . Within the Capital Wasteland is a large forest grove which is home to the Treeminders , as well as the Potomac River which can potentially can be purified . With this , the Brotherhood of Steel will likely add more vegetation or let it grow on its own . The Capital Wasteland seems to have a mix of vegetation between New California and the Mojave Wasteland . The Pitt . The Pitt , however , is seemingly incurable with no traces of vegetation whatsoever and with water in its river that seems to be far from pure , though a similar treatment as done on the Potomac could make it somewhat less mutated . Point Lookout . While Point Lookout consists mostly of dead trees around the swampland , the island also produces the punga fruit , a fruit considered sacred by local tribals that purge radiation and restore health . The tribals at the Ark & Dove cathedral have even cultivated them , producing a much better version known as refined punga fruit . Mojave Wasteland . Due to no bombs being dropped directly at the Mojave Wasteland , plants are not uncommon . A wide variety of cacti , flowers and herbs live around the Mojave Wasteland . In New Vegas itself , there is a wide variety of different plants as well as farms ( sharecropper farms ) located on the outside . In fact , in some areas , ( like Vault 22 ) plants vigorously thrive . The Mojave Wasteland contains the Colorado River which then further flows into New California . A reason why plants grow more abundantly in the Mojave Wasteland than any other wasteland is partly due to House , the NCR and the Legion ' s access to the source of pure water . Due to this , the Mojave Wasteland is the most ecologically developed wasteland .