Palo verde mean " green joystick " in Spanish ; all parts of the these woody legumes are green : their trunks , outgrowth and leaves . These large shrubs or small trees offer spectacular display of yellow blossoms . Along with saguaro cacti , they are popularly have in art depicting the Sonora Desert . The palo verde is the state tree of Arizona .
Description
Palo verde tree have dense , twiggy , low - flow branches . Four to six major stem usually sprout from the main trunk about 8 inch from the ground . The diadem are unremarkably 12 to 18 ft spacious , calculate on the variety . Palo verdes have smooth , light-green bark that incorporate chlorophyll and conduct photosynthesis .
Palo verdes are branch deciduous ; they shed some of their branches during hard drouth . Their deep root system can salt away water during drought . They have small leaves , about 1 inch long ; this small sizing keep the loss of water through transpiration and evaporation from leaf pores . When rain returns , new branch and leaves will rise back . They flower in the recent spring if there is rain .
Species of Palo Verde
There are four diversity of palo verde tree of genus Parkinsonia , formerly called Cercidium ; that name is still used in some informant .
Blue palo verde ( Parkinsonia floridum ) has a broad , spread crown and grows just as high as 30 foot . It often lines the street and public areas in Tucson and Phoenix .
Foothills palo verde ( Parkinsonia microphyllum ) is sluggish growing and shrubbier than other palo verdes , reaching about 20 foot improbable with burred branches . Its barque is yellowish - green .
Sonoran palo verde ( Parkinsonia praecox ) is improbable than the other palo verde tree and has fewer lower branches . It grows as high as 35 feet . It is also called green stick , littleleaf palo verde and yellowish palo verde .
Mexican palo verde ( Parkinsonia aculeate ) , also called luvia de oro , Spanish for " halcyon rainfall , " is a quickly growing variety of palo verde . Luvia de oro is a reference to its cornucopia of sensationalistic efflorescence . It reseeds easily and spreads sharply .
Habitat
Palo verde trees are the dominant mintage of upland areas of the Sonoran Desert . They grow on alluvial outwash plains and mountain slopes at altitudes from 1,000 to 4,000 pes . They are a favorite protection of hummingbirds , doves and other desert bird and animals .
Uses
Native Americans and autochthonal multitude of northerly Mexico have grate the seeds to make a flour . They have made a red dyestuff from the flower and necklaces from the come . They used the Natalie Wood for fires and cooking .
Protects Saguaro Cacti
The canopy of palo verde trees often protect young saguaro cacti , the gravid , branching cacti of the Sonoran Desert , fill in them in the summer and helping keep them ardent in the winter . The slow - growing saguaro cacti finally put back the palo verde trees that shelter them .
