Parkinsonia aculeata hybrid    
Desert Museum palo verde   
Fabaceae Family     

Form: upright tree, rounded crown with age
Seasonality: deciduous or semi-evergreen
Size: 20-30ft with equal spread; rapid growth

leaves on Parkinsonia aculeata hybrid

Leaves: bipinnately compound
Flowers: showy yellow flowers in late spring; display persists longer than other palo verdes
Fruit: pods containing 1-3 seeds, paper and flat, end comes to point; light tan by midsummer
Stems/Trunks: outstanding smooth green trunk; stems thornless, branches sturdy
Range/Origin: the Tucson area (see notes)
Hardiness: mid to high teens

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• residential scale tree
• medians and parking lots
• increasingly used in commercial landscape

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun, reflected heat
• Water: natural rainfall once established; infrequent and deep to encourage faster growth
• Soil: tolerant, good drainage
• Propagation: vegetatively only; seeds to not come true to type
• Maintenance: low; flower and leaf cleanup

Parkinson aculeata hybrid in bloom

NOTES:

Believed to be a naturally-occurring hybrid of Parkinsonia aculeatae, Cercidium floridum, and Cercidium microphylum, it combines desirable characteristics from the three parents.

Growing in popularity, but may have low availability because propagation is difficult

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This page was first created July 20, 2001 and last modified May 16, 2004.

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Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net

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