Creosote Bush is one of the most iconic plants in the desert southwest. After a good rainfall in the desert, the well-known smell that fills the air is that of the allopathic oils that seep from the Creosote Bush. Native Americans used the anti-microbial oil produced as an ointment for skin abrasions and injuries. Within native desert stands called "creosote flats," single creosote plants may reach one thousand years old and form large rings of seemingly many plants.