Desert riparian

[1] The visual character is of large, lush, perennial green trees surrounded by dry desert vegetation and soil coloration.

[1] The area may be in a patch surrounding a spring such as an oasis, or in a strand following the course of water flow, such as a bosque.

[2] It is contrasted with the desert dry wash vegetation type, in which water at or near the surface is lacking most of the year, such as arroyos.

[1] Common dominant species include Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii), Rio Grande cottonwood (P. deltoides wislizeni), velvet ash (Fraxinus velutina), arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis), Goodding's willow (Salix gooddingii), red willow (Salix laevigata), California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera), and invasive species such as salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima), giant reed (Arundo donax), and Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia).

[1] Salt cedar and Russian olive are particularly causing problems for this ecosystem because they are able to extract water more efficiently than native cottonwoods and willows, can quickly regrow from a ground-level stump if cut down, grows woody thorns up to 3 inches long, and produce fruits favored by birds.