Joshua tree

American  

noun

1. an evergreen tree, Yucca brevifolia, growing in arid or desert regions of the southwestern U.S., having long, twisted branches.

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Joshua tree British  

noun

1. a treelike desert yucca plant, Yucca brevifolia, of the southwestern US, with sword-shaped leaves and greenish-white flowers

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Etymology

Origin of Joshua tree

First recorded in 1895–1900

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Joshua tree

In 2020, the Dome fire decimated what was then known as the world’s densest Joshua tree forest.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

For a brief moment, it appeared the reviled Joshua tree would serve this purpose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025

Explorer John C. Frémont’s 1844 description of the Joshua tree as “the most repulsive tree in the vegetable kingdom” was just the beginning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025

With its shopping centers and cul-de-sacs carved into Joshua tree woodlands, Yucca Valley is probably the developed community most profoundly affected by the conservation law, said town manager Curtis Yakimow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2025

Not much grew around Midland other than the Joshua tree, cacti, and the scrubby little creosote bushes that Dad said were some of the oldest plants on the planet.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

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