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Tree · Fabaceae Draft — unreviewed

Blue palo verde

Parkinsonia florida (Benth. ex A.Gray) S.Watson

Also called blue palo verde, palo verde azul. Synonyms: Cercidium floridum.

Desert wash tree with blue-green bark that photosynthesizes after the tiny leaves drop. Covered in yellow flowers in spring.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 6–9 m (20–30 ft) tall and 6–9 m (20–30 ft) wide; fast growth, about 15 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.45) from the #15 install size.

02468mPlanting2.0 × 0.9 mYear 36.1 × 5.8 mYear 107.4 × 7.4 mMature7.5 × 7.5 m

Bloom

Yellow flowers, Mar–Apr (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).

Bloom calendar: months each plant is in bloom
PlantJFMAMJJASOND
Blue palo verde : Mar–Apr

Design notes

  • Water deeply and infrequently; overwatering produces weak, fast growth that breaks in monsoon winds.
  • Flower and pod litter is heavy — keep away from pools.

Regions

Native range: Sonoran Desert of Arizona, California and northwestern Mexico.

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

Southwest

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

Desert Museum palo verde
Parkinsonia 'Desert Museum' · Tree · 6–8 m (20–26 ft)
Desert willow
Chilopsis linearis · Tree · 5–8 m (16–26 ft)
Desert ironwood
Olneya tesota · Tree · 5–8 m (16–26 ft)
Velvet mesquite
Prosopis velutina · Tree · 6–9 m (20–30 ft)
Emory oak
Quercus emoryi · Tree · 6–12 m (20–39 ft)
Japanese maple
Acer palmatum · Tree · 4–8 m (13–26 ft)

Plan with Blue palo verde

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden