Читать книгу One Best Hike: Grand Canyon. Everything You Need to Know to Successfully Hike from the Rim to the River—and Back онлайн

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However, plants require leaves, or at least green surfaces; the green color indicates plant parts that can photosynthesize, or turn the sun’s energy into the sugars necessary for the plants to grow. In many species green stems compensate for limited leaf area. Drought-deciduous shrubs and many perennial herbs sprout leaves in spring when water is available and effectively hibernate during the hot summers. Other species are annuals. These plants grow for only a single season, germinating when soils are sufficiently moist and producing flowers and seeds in quick succession to avoid dry soils.

Below are descriptions of 38 species along the Bright Angel and South Kaibab trails, including the most common species, as well as some showy, difficult-to-miss species that occur along a specific stretch of trail. They are organized by growth form (trees and larger shrubs, herbs and small shrubs, and cacti and agaves) and are approximately in order of their appearance from the canyon rim to bottom. A list of all species in the Grand Canyon is available on the Southwest Environmental Information Network: http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/checklists/checklist.php?cl=94.