creosote

Larrea tridentata — the dominant shrub of the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts, named for the sharp, resinous smell it releases after rain. That smell — the smell of desert rain — is creosote. The plant is among the oldest living organisms on earth: a clonal creosote ring in the Mojave called King Clone is estimated at 11,700 years old. Individual bushes space themselves with chemical precision, each one's root zone repelling its neighbors, creating the even, geometric spacing visible from above.