Creosote bush is a perennial, evergreen shrub in the Caltrop (Zygophyllaceae) family native to the Chihuahuan, Mojave, and Sonoran Deserts in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The Caltrop family consists of about 285 species in 22 genera that includes trees, shrubs, or herbs often found in dry habitats. This shrub typically matures to about 5 feet high, but has been known to reach more that 10 feet. It thrives in hot dry desert climates. It prefers full sun and rocky, well-drained calcerous or sandy soil. The roots are extremely efficient at absorbing and retaining water and the small leaves are capable of folding in half to reduce water loss during drought. Given these cultural conditions, it may be difficult to cultivate in North Carolina. Creosote shrub is common throughout its natural range, where it is used ornamentally in xeriscaping and is noted for its fragrance, especially after a rain. Extreme droughts may induce pure stands of this species. Young leaves are coated in a fragrant oily resin, another adaptation against water loss. Indigenous people use it topically and in tea to treat muscle pain, fever, paralysis, indigestion, and open wounds. Germination rates are low, and it reproduces primarily via cloning. One clonal colony was found to be around 11,700 years old. Because of the toxins given off by the plant, nothing will grown underneath it. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests. Galls may form from the activity of the creosote gall midge. Seeds germinate slowly it is difficult to root from cuttings.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Dense; Multi-stemmed
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf feel
Waxy
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are small, opposite, compound with 2 weakly tridentate leaflets. Leaflets are sticky, oily-resinous with a strong medicinal odor. Composed of 2 leaflets, united at the base, pointed at the tip, dark to yellowish-green.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flowers are yellow, 5-petaled, solitary from axils with ovoid sepals. Blooms are prolific, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, but inconspicuous except under favorable conditions, when they give the bush a yellowish cast.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Schizocarp
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Fruit is brown-burgundy spherical, fuzzy capsule, which separates into 5 individual carpels each containing one seed.
Stem detail
Numerous stems, slender and branching, rise from the base at an angle.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southwest to South Central United States to Mexico