Sunday, March 8, 2015

The Wild Tree

Parkinsonia floridum, blue palo verde
I have fully intended to take part in Lucy's tree watching meme at Loose and Leafy since January.  It is something I've been fascinated by but haven't gotten on with, partly because of sheer indecision about which tree.  At last, I present the wild Blue Palo Verde next door!

It is just over our wall in an empty lot.  Now the "empty lot" is nothing more or less than raw desert, not counting a bit of detritus that has washed in over the years.  As far as plants go, it features mostly Larrea tridentata, the creosote bush; but there are a few other plants scattered around, among them this one.  The tree is more like several trees: a small thicket of Parkinsonia floridum, the blue Palo Verde.  I've posted pictures of it before here because it is beautiful to photograph.  As I say, it grows up against the wall surrounding our property.
Parkinsonia floridum, blue palo verde
I knew I had better start soon or risk missing this tree's bloom time.  I didn't realize how close it might be to blooming until I went over and checked it today.  Clusters are already filling out on the branches.
Parkinsonia floridum, blue palo verde
It is a sparsely leafed tree with sprays of small, rounded leaves scattered throughout the maze of branches.
Parkinsonia floridum, blue palo verde\
Parkinsonia floridum, blue palo verde
One of the most beautiful things about Palo Verde trees is the bark, which is smooth and green.  The colour is important since it allows the tree to conduct photosynthesis even when leafless.  This is a not uncommon feature of desert plants, many of which deal with drought and heat by dropping their leaves in summer, thereby reducing water loss from the leaf surfaces.  Some Parkinsonia species have brilliant green bark, but P. floridum's is a soft grey-blue-green hue.
Parkinsonia floridum, blue palo verde
And, like so many other desert plants, it is protected by thorns.
Parkinsonia floridum, blue palo verde
I hesitated to post this tree, feeling that it would probably not change enough from month to month to remain interesting.  But this meme is a good opportunity to find out the little variations that one didn't know about.  So here is Parkinsonia floridum in March...
Parkinsonia floridum, blue palo verde

16 comments:

  1. What a fascinating tree. I love the clusters of leaves and the green bark, a sensible adaptation to living in a desert!

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    1. It's a surprisingly elegant tree considering how scrubby it looks from a distance. That green bark even gives a curious sense of shade in midsummer :)

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  2. Very interesting!
    Have a great day!
    Lea

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it, Lea! Welcome to my little corner of the desert :)

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  3. I agree that the Palo Verde tree bark looks beautiful. Most British trees have rough textured bark which is, of course, interesting as well.

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    1. I suppose I rarely think about what a wide range of different barks there are in the tree world. Some of the shaggy ones are spectacular, and I love the types that peel and show different colours...

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  4. I love Palo Verde trees. I'll enjoy watching its progress through the year.

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    1. They are gorgeous little trees. I have great hopes for a good flowering from it because it grows just the other side of the low spot in our yard ;-)

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  5. Neat to find your blog (via tree following). I've enjoyed my visits to the Sonoran desert, and so your posts rich in flora and ecology are a treat. And your garden project is inspiring. The last two years I've been adding some Wyoming natives to my yard -- also drought tolerant species. I'm not much of a gardener but they seem to be doing ok.

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    1. So glad you enjoyed the blog :) Trying to develop this garden is an adventure; it certainly makes its own requirements on the plants. I'll know a lot more once it's lived through its first summer!

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  6. similar to our thorn tree. Which frightened me by losing its leaves, till I realised it was deciduous.
    Love the desert interpretation of shimmering silver birches.

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    1. I'm sure it will be helpful to watch this tree throughout the year, Diana! I've generally wondered about the sparse leaves on it; in fact, I don't know whether it ever gets many more or even whether it loses them all at some time...! I hadn't thought of birches till you mentioned it, but it does provide a similarly lovely effect with the bark :)

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  7. It's a fascinating tree - I love the green bark. It's amazing how many of the Pea (Fabaceae) family survive in such harsh conditions

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    1. It is amazing, isn't it? We're lucky to have access to some of the Australian members of the family here too, which rounds out the possibilities nicely! (For instance, I've added Acacia salicina to my Dry Corner. The native Acacias are mostly the wrong size and/or quite thorny.) And yes, I love that green bark. The cultivar "Desert Museum" has the bright yellow-green bark, and I'd like to plant it somewhere, but it's too big for the garden area proper...

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  8. I really like your tree (which I discovered through Tree Following). The leaves have a very interesting shape and cluster type, and the bark is just beautiful. I can't wait to see what it looks like in another month. Thanks for sharing it!

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    1. So glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully by next month it will be flowering, which is the most noticeable seasonal change and fairly spectacular... :)

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