Mexican Palo Verde
Parkinsonia aculeata
Mexican palo verde (Jerusalem thorn) is a fast, green-barked desert tree with weeping branches and showers of yellow flowers, casting light shade with photosynthetic stems. Very drought-proof. The seeds and sweet pod pulp are a documented, nutritious food once cooked — the leaves, by contrast, contain a cyanide-forming compound and should not be eaten.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 15–30 ft
- Spacing
- 15–25 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- April, May, June, July, August
- Bloom colors
- orange, yellow
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, butterflies, pollinators
- Landscape uses
- specimen, hedge or screen
- Native states
- AZ, CA, FL, LA, NM, TX
Related native plants
More Parkinsonia species
- Foothill Palo Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla)
- Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida)
- Texas Palo Verde (Parkinsonia texana)