Editing Larrea tridentata (section)

==Habitat==
{{See also|Creosote bush scrub}}
Creosote bush is most common on the well-drained soils of [[alluvial fan]]s and flats. In parts of its range, it may cover large areas in practically pure stands, though it usually occurs in association with ''[[Ambrosia dumosa]]'' (burro bush or bur-sage).<ref>{{cite web|title=Larrea tridentata|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/lartri/all.html|last=Marshall |first=K. Anna |year=1995 |work=Fire Effects Information System |publisher=[[U. S. Forest Service]]}}</ref> Chemicals found in creosote bush roots have been shown to inhibit the growth of burro bush roots,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Root communication among desert shrubs |journal=[[PNAS]] |first1=Bruce E. |last1=Mahall |first2=Ragan M. |last2=Callaway |volume=88 |issue=3 |pages=874–876 |date=February 1991 |pmc=50916 |doi=10.1073/pnas.88.3.874 |pmid=11607151|bibcode=1991PNAS...88..874M |doi-access=free }}</ref> but as of 2013, much of their relationship remains unexplained.

Creosote bush stands tend to display an evenly spaced distribution of plants.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Competition and spacing patterns in desert shrubs |first1=Donald L. |last1=Phillips |first2=James A. |last2=MacMahon |journal=[[Journal of Ecology]] |volume=69 |number=1 |date=March 1981 |pages=97–115 |doi=10.2307/2259818|jstor=2259818 |bibcode=1981JEcol..69...97P }}</ref> Originally, {{Citation needed|date=November 2013}} it was assumed that the plant produced a [[water-soluble]] inhibitor that prevented the growth of other bushes near mature, healthy bushes. Now, however, it has been shown {{Citation needed|date=November 2013}} that the root systems of mature creosote plants are simply so efficient at absorbing water that fallen seeds nearby cannot accumulate enough water to germinate, effectively creating dead zones around every plant.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A natural history of California|last=Schoenherr, A.|publisher=University of California|year=1992|location=Berkeley|pages=404}}</ref>