Joshua trees are a strange and wonderful plant. The US National Park Service runs the Joshua Tree National Park, which is now closed because of the government shut down.
Joshua trees are amazing. You see a flat desert, and then these odd plants, which are members of the yucca family, popping out in all sorts of strange and eerie shapes. Driving through the southeastern part of California, along the Pear Blossom Highway, they are everywhere. David Hockney immortalized them both. Be sure to take time to visit the park and drive the highway when you are next in SoCal.