Desert ironwood
Olneya tesota A.Gray
Also called desert ironwood, palo fierro.
Very long-lived Sonoran Desert tree with gray-green foliage and pink-lavender spring flowers. A traditional nurse plant that shelters young cacti.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 5–8 m (16–26 ft) tall and 5–8 m (16–26 ft) wide; slow growth, about 35 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.12) from the #15 install size.
Bloom
Lavender flowers, Apr–May (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).
| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert ironwood : Apr–May |
Design notes
- Frost-sensitive when young; limited to the low desert.
- Spiny branches — keep off walk edges or raise the canopy as it grows.
Regions
Native range: Sonoran Desert of Arizona, California and Sonora.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Plan with Desert ironwood
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.