Psorothamnus spinosus (smoke tree) ( )

Smoke tree, which is virtually leafless, displays stems as its primary photosynthetic organs. It is a common and often dominant species in desert washes in reaches up to 25 feet in height, exhibits a dense silvery-gray pubescence that covers its spine-tipped branches, The combination of the gray branches and the leaflessness of these trees gives them a decidedly smoky appearance when viewed from a distance-especially with low sun angles near dawn or dusk. Like other legumes, smoke trees have root nodules with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria, this clearly helps this species to successfully colonize nutrient-poor soils in desert washes. "California Desert Plants, Philip W Rundel, Robert J Gustafson, Michael E Kauffmann."