Creosote bushes. You can't go anywhere in the desert southwest without seeing them. They hold moisture in the surrounding area, redirect the hot wind around them, provide shade....hurt when someone throws you into one.

We use to break large branches off of them to use as walking sticks when exploring the desert around Ft. Bliss, Huachuca, Irwin, & "WissMeer" (White Sands).

The sticks were also useful for shaking critters out of the bushes...stuff like sidewinders, horny toads, jack-rabbits, #@!#-You lizards, & Track-Stars (really fast ones).