# Desert Christmas Tree (*pholisma arenarium*)

The Desert Christmas Tree (Pholisma arenarium) is a bizarre and fascinating botanical wonder of the North American deserts. Lacking chlorophyll, this parasitic plant spends almost its entire life cycle completely submerged beneath shifting desert sands. It survives by using specialized roots to seek out and tap into the root systems of nearby desert shrubs, stealing the moisture and nutrients it needs to grow. In the spring, it makes a brief, dramatic appearance by pushing a fleshy, scaly stem through the surface of the sand. Once above ground, this stem erupts into a dense, crown-like cluster of small, vibrant lavender-to-purple flowers, creating a striking contrast against the stark, sandy dunes. Its unique subterranean lifestyle and festive appearance make it a prized sight for desert explorers.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Found in coastal and inland desert sand dunes, sandy flats, and washes, typically growing in close association with the root systems of desert shrubs.

![Desert Christmas Tree](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/7402195/medium.jpg)

Photo: Lynn Sweet, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/7402195)

## Appearance

This unusual plant is easily identified by its fleshy, pinecone-like stem that rises 5 to 20 centimeters above the sand, though its underground portion can extend several meters deep. The visible club-shaped stem is covered in tiny, scale-like leaves and topped with a rounded, compact cluster of flowers. These blossoms are small, tubular, and light purple or lavender with white borders, typically arranged in a dense, crown-like ring. The entire plant is covered in sticky, glandular hairs that trap drifting sand grains, giving it a rough, heavily camouflaged, sand-encrusted texture.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Boraginales
- **Family:** Boraginaceae
- **Genus:** Pholisma

## Interesting facts

- Because it lives buried in shifting dunes, the underground stem of this plant can grow up to six feet deep to reach a host root.
- Indigenous peoples of the Southwest, including the Cahuilla, traditionally harvested the succulent underground stems to eat raw or roasted like sweet potatoes.
- The sticky sand coating on its stem acts as a natural armor, protecting the tender succulent tissues from dry desert winds and sandblasting.

## Special abilities

- **Achlorophyllous Parasitism:** Lacking chlorophyll, it uses specialized root structures called haustoria to tap into host plants, drawing all its water and nutrients directly from them.
- **Sand-Binding Camouflage:** Produces sticky glandular secretions that coat its stem in sand, providing structural stability and camouflage from herbivores.
- **Subterranean Estivation:** Spends most of its life cycle entirely underground, avoiding extreme desert surface temperatures and wind-driven erosion.

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 5-20 cm
- **Weight:** 0.05-0.5 kg
- **Lifespan:** 1-5 years

## Diet & Feeding

A root parasite that cannot photosynthesize, obtaining all water, minerals, and organic nutrients from the roots of specific host shrubs.

- **Primary Foods:** Host plant sap, Water from host roots, Carbohydrates from host
- **Foraging Method:** Parasitic Absorption

## Ecological connections

- **Host plant:** Burrobrush (*Ambrosia dumosa*) — Serves as the primary host plant, providing water and nutrients to the parasitic Desert Christmas Tree.
- **Host plant:** Scalebroom (*Lepidospartum squamatum*) — Another common desert shrub host that supports the development of Pholisma arenarium.
- **Mutualism:** Western Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Pollinates the small purple flowers when they bloom above the sand.

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Desert Christmas Tree?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Desert Christmas Tree?

5-20 cm

### How much does Desert Christmas Tree weigh?

0.05-0.5 kg

### How long does Desert Christmas Tree live?

1-5 years

### What does Desert Christmas Tree eat?

A root parasite that cannot photosynthesize, obtaining all water, minerals, and organic nutrients from the roots of specific host shrubs.

### Where is Desert Christmas Tree usually found?

Found in coastal and inland desert sand dunes, sandy flats, and washes, typically growing in close association with the root systems of desert shrubs.

### How does Desert Christmas Tree hunt?

Parasitic Absorption

## Where to spot

- [Rainbow Basin](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rainbow-basin) — California, US · Nature Reserve
- [Jawbone Canyon](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/jawbone-canyon) — California, US · Nature Reserve

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Desert Christmas Tree: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/desert-christmas-tree)