Under an Elephant Tree
Near Cataviña, Baja California Norte, Mexico
Two unrelated species of trees are both known as Elephant Tree to English speakers, though the Mexicans correctly distinguish them. What they have in common is their short, thick and often grotesquely contorted trunk and limbs. Water stored in the corky wood allows these trees to flourish in the very dry climate of Baja California. Many of the places where elephant trees grow have no other tree species, and some, such as the lava beds at Tres Virgenes, have almost no other vegetation at all.
Here in the central desert near Cataviña the vegetation is varied and unusually interesting, with towering cardon cactus and the strange unbranched cirio, or boojum, as well as more familiar cacti, acacia, and small ephemeral flowers. But if you want to sit in the shade (and drink a Tecate) you must look for an elephant tree.