Basin wiki · Plants
Fremont cottonwood
Populus fremontii · Frémont’s cottonwood
The big-leaf tree of real water — Big Morongo’s woodland, not a desert willow lookalike.
In the basin
Cottonwoods mark springs, creeks, and planted oases. The Morongo Valley history page names the Big Morongo cottonwood-and-willow woodland. Broad, fluttering leaves and a true tree crown; desert willow is a different family with pink flowers. If you have one on a lot, the groundwater or a leak is the story. Wikipedia and Calflora have the tree.