hNative Plants for Desert Tortoises
by Mary Cohen
The Desert Tortoise Natural Area (DTNA) is a 39.5 square mile area of prime natural habitat located in the Mojave Desert of California on the slopes of the Rand Mountains. This desert ecosystem includes over 160 different species of plant. Many of the animal inhabitants of the DTNA feed upon these plants. One such inhabitant is the desert tortoise (Gopherus (Xerobates) agassizii), Official Reptile of the State of California.
The desert tortoise meets its nutritional needs by consuming a wide variety of plant materials. This article does not presume to be a complete listing of all the food plants growing in the DTNA; in fact, it profiles only a fraction of the plants growing there. The article concentrates on DTNA plants stocked by the Theodore Payne Foundation which is currently the only source that many of these native California plants can be purchased from. All the plants mentioned in this article are available as seed in packets and sometimes in bulk; a few are available as container stock. Seed can be mail ordered directly. See the end of article for the address and phone number.
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