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Plant World

Trees and Shrubs

What are Joshua trees?

There are approximately 660 trees on one acre of forest; this number of trees can yield approximately 105,000 feet (32,004 meters) of lumber, more than 30 tons (30,000 kilograms) of paper, or 16 cords of firewood.

Yucca brevifolia, a large shrub found in the southwestern region of the United States, received its common name from Mormon pioneers. They named the tree after the prophet Joshua because its greatly extended branches resemble how Joshua used his outstretched arms to point his spear toward the city of Ai.



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