The Palo Verde tree

The best thing about most drought tolerant/desert xeriscape trees, shrubs and ground-covers is that because they have adapted to such harsh environments that the desert southwest offers they are generally easy to grow and nearly maintenance free. I say "nearly" because in all reality there is no such thing as a completely maintenance anything. No matter what type of vegetation we may be dealing with there will be periods when they need some type of care.

One such tree however that needs relatively little care and maintenance is the Palo Verde tree - a must for any southwestern/desert style landscape. Palo Verde's, Parkinsonia (Cercidium) spp, are not only tough they are absolutely reliable performers and require little, if any, direct water once established. They are also very fast growers that can quickly provide light, filtered shade cover.

These trees are native to virtually all of the desert southwest , from California to Texas and northern Mexico. Hence the different species such as the Mexican Palo Verde, Blue Palo Verde and the Yellow or Foothill Palo Verde. There is also a hybridized version of Palo Verde, Parkinsonia ‘Desert Museum’ which has extremely favorable characteristics for landscape use and has steadily become the preferred specified cultivar for many landscape architects and designers.

Palo Verde's generally grow 15 to 20 feet tall but can occasionally reach higher, sometimes close to 30 feet. Sometimes spread can be as much as twice that of the height. This should definitely be considered especially if the trees are direct watered. If not then the spread will usually be slightly less. The tree is deciduous and will drop its leaves in the fall. One interesting note about the adaptability of the tree is that in extremely dry conditions the tree will shed its leaves yet continue to photosynthesize because of the chlorophyll stored in its trunk and branches. The tree is usually hardy to 10 to 15 degrees and may even endure lower temperatures.

The leaf size and structure of the Palo Verde depends on the species. The tree produces a very delicate pale yellow flower in great abundance which is indeed quite striking to behold. Palo Verde's produce woody seed capsules which are four to six inches long. These mature in mid to late summer. Excepting for the hybrids the tree produces an extremely sharp thorn that prevents any desire to climb the tree.