About Peucephyllum schottii A.Gray
Peucephyllum is a monotypic genus of flowering plants that holds only one species: Peucephyllum schottii A.Gray. This species has several common names: pygmy cedar, Schott's pygmy cedar, desert fir, and desert pine. Despite these common names, it is not a true cedar, fir, or pine. It belongs to the aster family, Asteraceae. It is a leafy evergreen shrub with glandular, resinous foliage. It produces yellow flower heads that contain only disc florets. Its fruits are woody, bristly seeds equipped with a pappus. This plant is native to desert regions of the southwestern United States, including Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah, as well as the northern Mexican states of Baja California and Sonora. The overall growth form of this species resembles that of the common creosote bush, Larrea tridentata. Both are small, greenish, hemispherical shrubs that bear similar yellow flowers in the spring.
