Parkinsonia florida (Blue palo verde)

Parkinsonia florida (Benth. ex A. Gray) S. Watson

Cercidium floridum Benth. ex A. Gray

Cercidium floridum Benth. ex A. Gray ssp. floridum

Blue palo verde, blue paloverde, palo verde

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fabales	Legumes (pea and bean families)
Family	Fabaceae	Legume family (peas and beans)
Genus	Parkinsonia	Named for John Parkinson, author, botanist, Apothecary of London and king’s herbalist to James I
Species	florida	Either (1) free flowering, producing abundant flowers; or (2) bright

About plant names...

Blue Palo Verde is a native of the Sonoran Desert.

Identification: This species is found in desert areas, typically near rivers or desert wash areas that receive at least intermittent water. It reaches 15-30' (4.6-9.1 m) in height. Leaves are bipinnate, with leaflets ⅛-¼" (3.2-6.3 mm) long. It is found in association with honey mesquite, smoketree, ironwood, desert willow, and catclaw acacia.

This table compares blue palo verde with foothills palo verde.

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 8.7 cm)

5/2/2018 · Bajada Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

	You are here Parkinsonia florida	*Parkinsonia microphylla*
Common Name	blue palo verde	foothills Palo Verde
Plant	15-30' (4.6-9.1 m). Trunk and branches are bluish green, photosynthetic.	10-20' (3-6.1 m) high, and about the same around. Bark is smooth and yellow-green in color.
Flowers	Bright yellow, blooming earlier than foothills palo verde. Photo by Stan Shebs.	Yellow. Photo by aspidoscelis (Flickr).
Leaves	Bipinnate, with leaflets ⅛-¼" (3.2-6.3 mm) long; often leafless.	In small pinnate stalks up to 1" (2.5 cm), containing a row of tiny, round leaflets. Dropped entirely during droughts.
Fruit	A flat pod with one or more seeds, brown, turning white with age, up to 3" (7.6 cm) long.	2-3" (5-7.6 cm) seed pods contain up to five seeds.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Creosote bush scrub, below 3600' (1.1 km)	Mohave and Sonoran deserts of Arizona, California, and Baja Mexico; at up to 4000' (1.2 km)
Type	Wild	Wild

Flowering blue paloverde. By Stan Shebs.

Online References:

Parkinsonia florida at Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert

Parkinsonia florida on Discover Life

Parkinsonia florida on cals.arizona.edu

Parkinsonia florida on www.treesofnorthamerica.net

Parkinsonia florida on CalPhotos

Parkinsonia florida at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Parkinsonia florida on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Parkinsonia florida at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Sonoran Desert Digital Library

5/1/2018 · Sara Park, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm)

5/1/2018 · Sara Park, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

5/2/2018 · Bajada Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm)

5/1/2018 · Sara Park, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 6 × 4½" (14 × 12 cm)

5/2/2018 · Bajada Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

Parkinsonia florida description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 4 × 3½" (10 × 8.7 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm)

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 5 × 4" (12 × 11 cm)

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona

5/2/2018 · Bajada Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
≈ 6 × 9" (14 × 22 cm)

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 29 × 21" (73 × 52 cm)

5/1/2018 · Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

Range:

About this map...