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Madrean Archipelago

Ecoregion in Chihuahuan Desert in AZ, Sonora, NM

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Also known as the Sky Islands in the United States, this is a region of basins and ranges with medium to high local relief, typically 3000 to 5000 feet. Native vegetation in the region is mostly grama-tobosa shrubsteppe in the basins and oak-juniper woodlands on the ranges, except at higher elevations where ponderosa pine is predominant. The region has ecological significance as both a barrier and bridge between two major cordilleras of North America, the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madre Occidental. Its exceptional species richness and endemism are also influenced by both western desert and mid-continent prairie biogeography.

— EPA

Plants

Soaptree Yucca Yucca elata (species), “Soaptree”, “Soapweed”, “Palmella”

Madrean Archipelago

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