Cercidium

The name, palo verde, is Spanish in origin, translating to "green pole or green stick".

Historically, native people gathered the pods from this tree, a member of the legume family, and ground the seeds into meal which was formed into cakes and baked or used as a porridge. Catherine Saubel relates the trees were known as "u'uwet" by the early desert Cahuillas, who lived in our area. All three varieties in our garden are spine-bearing, but perhaps a recent new cultivar is available with fewer or no spines. You might want to investigate at your favorite nursery!

Sonoran Palo Verde

Of the three species in our garden, our favorite is Parkinsonia praecox ( formerly, Cersidium praecox and also called Palo Brea or Foothill Palo Verde). The LIME- green trunk and statuesque trunk and branch structure give it a lot of character. Its filtered shade provides an ideal spot for the aloe bed under the tree. It creates a stunning scene with it's long lasting spring floral display. This litter often is blown onto the pavers near the front entry but a leaf blower has provided an easy means of maintenance. This tree is laced and pruned yearly. A huge main branch splintered and fell off during the same windstorm that destroyed the palapa. We were heartsick and even considered removing the entire tree. We decided to give it a chance to survive, called upon professionals to saw off broken branches and took a "wait and see attitude". I'm so glad we did...the tree has recovered and is covered with healthy bright green foliage!

Blue Palo Verde

Cercidium floridium, the blue palo verde, a true native to our desert, Baja and Arizona, is an abundant giant in the Borrego region. This tree is a fast grower often seen along roadside berms where it has sprouted from seed. Blue palo verdes can reach heights up to thirty-five feet and widths around thirty feet. This tree has a blue green trunk, tiny leaves and flowers profusely in spring. It is heavily thorned. I can't tell you how many times I have stepped on a loose twig and been punctured on the ankles or legs by those nasty thorns! Heavy gloves are needed when pruning or working near these trees. But, the blue palo verde is well worth the pain. They provide the dense shade needed for the west side of any desert home. Just take care to visualize their size at maturity before planting them. These trees are found in various places though out the Anza Borrego desert and provides shade for hikers and campers, plus nesting sites, roosts, food and refuge for wildlife.

The Mexican Palo Verde

The Mexican Palo Verde, which is a medium size brownish trunked, thinner crowned tree, in comparison to the others. C. parkinsonia, is native to Mexico and Baja. This type of tree requires the most maintenance. Borne on the branches are long thin brown "streamers", which drop profusely and require a lot of raking, unless you just let them accumulate. When I first glimpsed the litter under a mature Cercidium located near the bird observation station south of the Salton Sea, I was surprised to see over two feet of litter which had accumulated from only one tree! We have four of these trees on our property: One was gravel blasted during a storm shortly after we planted it. Still alive today, though stunted, it remains healthy. Another was attacked by beetles, cut down to the ground, but has revived as a bright green mass of basal off-shoots. The other two trees, in the front garden, are periodically pruned and require a LOT of hand raking. We have kept all four trees only because they represent examples of a native Cercidium.