RUBBER PLANT (limber bush)
Jatropha dioica

The rubber plant is locally common on dry, frost-free slopes in the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts. It forms colonies of very flexible, reddish-brown stems which arise from underground runners. For most of the year it is leafless, but it produces small, ovate leaves in response to summer rains. In this image, rubber bush is growing on an area of desert pavement (where the soil surface is covered with flat stones) near to the Rio Grande river. Lechuguilla is seen in the foreground.

Rubber plant is a member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). It has succulent stems and exudes a milky sap when damaged.