Lava plants (El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve) Although the lava deposits are extremely hard, they can support a rich community of plants, which root in cracks in the lava surface. This is evident in the first image below, where a community of ocotillo, ironwood (the small tree breaking the skyline), paloverde, senita cacti and the yellow-flowering brittlebush (foreground) are growing on uplifted lava deposits near the main Pinacate campground.
In the image below, a small outcrop of lava (about 10 metres diameter) is exposed within a flat, sandy desert area dominated by creosote bush close to the Colorado crater. A localised population of more than 20 large barrel cacti (and several younger specimens) grow on this outcrop, rooting in the lava. Most of these plants were flowering profusely (second image below) in April 2001.
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