#non interactives

[rdr2plantblog]

Yucca brevifolia

“Joshua tree”

Yucca brevifolia is one of a few species of Yucca that take on an arboreal habit! Unlike more familiar tree species, however, its trunk and branches are fibrous and lack growth rings, making determining the ages of these plants difficult (estimates put their average lifespan around 200-500 years). In real life, these plants can be found exclusively in the Mojave, but their distribution ingame seems to be broadly around the lowlands of New Austin around Mercer Station. As for the game’s rendering, it’s absolutely spot on. The perfect rendering of the straight blade-like leaves around the tips of the branches, dead leaves providing a shingled form of sunscreen and moisture retention for the trunk, the gently sloping branches; there’s nothing at all I could criticize about this Yucca brevifolia rendering, except I wish we had one in bloom to look at. It adds so much atmosphere to the desert environment of New Austin as a gypsum soil indicator species.

            My rating: 8/8

[rdr2plantblog]

Lupinus polyphyllus

“Meadow lupine”

Who would I be if I didn’t begin with my favorite genus, (and my namesake!) Lupinus! I’m going to start by covering my ass, and saying that precise ID of lupines is difficult without close field examination (in some cases, even DNA sequencing!) That said, Lupinus polyphyllus or Lupinus latifolius are my best educated guesses for the plant pictured below. “Big Valley” is loosely based on the Sierra Nevadas and the Cascades, so both species are native and found commonly in these regions. The morphological characteristics of the ingame plant I looked at were large, palmate and (probably?) hairless leaves, with a long petiole and tall inflorescence. As you can probably see from the comparison image, getting a detailed screenshot is impossible due to the low resolution of the plant itself; its individual florets are almost completely lacking in definition, which makes looking for diagnostic features like banner spots, keels, and bracts impossible. So, based on growth habit and equivalent biome alone, this lupine is getting the Lupinus polyphyllus (possibly L. latifolius) label slapped on. Teresa Sholars, if you’re reading this, SOS.

            My rating: 5/8 (they make such a pretty scene in Big Valley despite their lacking details)

[rdr2plantblog]

Carnigiea gigantea

“Saguaro cactus”

You know it, you love it! It’s the awe-inspiring giant that’s a keystone species for an entire ecosystem; Carnigiea gigantea provides food, shelter, tools, and building materials for animals all over the Sonora desert. Finding this plant so widespread ingame is actually pretty historically accurate too! Despite their extremely limited range in modern times, their historical range used to be a much broader, and their populations much denser. Saguaros are extremely sensitive to climate change and other human disturbances; they’re unable to germinate with too much frost and are sensitive to drought, unable to compete with invasive introduced grasses, and very limited by altitude. Unfortunately for how beloved and well-known they are, their populations in the last century have plummeted. Their game depiction is a beautiful glimpse into the past.

As for their morphology, the devs got them mostly right, they’re just a little small (and their spines are always shockingly white? I’m not sure if that’s a rendering thing with the lighting or what. It makes them look a little awkward.) I’d love if there was a patch update that gave them their true-to-life size. That “gigantea” species name isn’t just for show, y’know.

            My rating: 8/8