Foothill Palo Verde
Parkinsonia microphylla
A slow, yellow-green-barked desert tree of rocky slopes, paler-flowered than its blue cousin and an essential nurse plant for young saguaros. Supremely drought-adapted. Its protein-rich seeds are a documented, nutritious food once roasted and ground, historically a famine food when better options weren't available.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 15–25 ft
- Spacing
- 15–25 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- March, April, May
- Bloom colors
- white, yellow
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, songbirds, larval host
- Landscape uses
- specimen, hedge or screen
- Native states
- AZ, CA
Related native plants
More Parkinsonia species
- Mexican Palo Verde (Parkinsonia aculeata)
- Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida)
- Texas Palo Verde (Parkinsonia texana)