Parkinsonia florida blue palo verde

Parkinsonia florida leaves and flowers. John Rawlings, 16 Jun 2005

This is a small summer-deciduous tree of the Sonoran desert with just a few very small leaflets, showy yellow flowers, and 3-inch long pods. A palo verde might be expected to be green, but in this case the bark is bluish green; the intricate structure of the branches lends interest to its appearance. A specimen in the inside courtyard at the Cantor Center was lost to a change in landscaping.

Name derivation: Parkinsonia – John Parkinson (1567–1650), Apothecary of London and royal herbalist; Cercidium – from the Greek kerkidion, a weaver’s shuttle, and descriptive of the woody fruits; floridum/floridus – either (1) free flowering, producing abundant flowers; or (2) bright. From California Plant Names.