Cercidium floridum     
Blue palo verde   
Fabaceae Family     

Cercidium floridum

Form: low multistemmed tree, rounded crown
Seasonality: deciduous (in drought or cold)
Size: 15-30ft with equal spread; growth rate varies with water supply
Leaves: bipinnately compound, in pairs, about 1/2in long with leaflets of 1/4 to 1/8in; often leafless most of the year
Flowers: bright yellow pea-like blooms cover entire tree; first Cercidium to bloom in spring
Fruit: flat pod, single or multiple seeded; brown bleaching to white with age; 1.5-3in long
Stems/Trunks: normally green, growing more gray or dark and rough with age; tree has overall bluish cast; dense growth; small thorns
Range/Origin: Sonoran and Mohave deserts, Baja California; elevations to 4000ft
Hardiness: mid to low teens

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• of residential scale
• good as specimen or in groves
• medians, roadsides
• filtered shade under canopy
• striking color when in bloom

bright yellow blooms of Cercidium floridum

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun, reflected heat
• Water: drought tolerant; best landscape quality with supplemental water; recommend infrequent but deep irrigations, 1-2 times per month
• Soil: tolerant, needs good drainage
• Propagation: seed, requires scarification (mechanical or chemical)
• Maintenance: moderate; pod and flower cleanup, removal of seedling sprouts, training to tree if desired

NOTES:

first palo verde to bloom in spring
popular for home landscapes
short-lived (20-40 years)
best when staked while young until central leader is established susceptible to wood borers, witches broom and mistletoe; keeping plant vigorous is best preventative measure

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This page was first created July 2, 2001 and last modified March 11, 2005.

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