''Tidestromia suffruticosa'', the shrubby honeysweet, is a perennial plant in the family

Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it ...

of the southwestern United States and northeastern Mexican deserts. It has one of the highest rates of

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

ever recorded. It flowers from April to December. It can survive very high temperatures, growing successfully in extreme environments such as

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

, and the genetic basis for this is being studied with a view to making hardier crop plants to better cope with

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

Subtaxa

The following varieties are accepted: *''Tidestromia suffruticosa'' var. ''oblongifolia'' (S.Watson) Sánch.Pino & Flores Olv. *''Tidestromia suffruticosa'' var. ''suffruticosa''

References

Amaranthaceae Flora of Arizona Flora of the South-Central United States Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Amaranthaceae-stub