Palo Verde Blossoms — Image by kenne
Interesting Facts About the Palo Verde Tree:
— The Arizona state tree
— The name in Spanish means “green stick”
— Can live to be over 100 years old
— Can grow up to 30 feet
— Cause few or no allergy symptoms
— The flowers and seeds are edible
— The primary nursing plant for baby saguaros
Palo Verde Trees In the Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
The palo verde tree is Arizona’s state tree, and rightfully so since once established, these trees truly need no
supplemental water to live. The tree’s bark is green and can photosynthesize something that in most plants,
only leaves do. This characteristic also allows the leaves to be very small and drop off during extreme drought conditions.
In the Sonoran desert, there are four types of palo verde trees. The above image illustrates two; the Blue Palo Verde
on the left and the Foothills Palo Verde on the right. The Blue Palo Verde will generally bloom first in the spring,
followed by the Foothills a few weeks later. During April, you can see these trees blooming everywhere in Tucson.
— kenne
Blooming Blue Palo Verde Trees (Tanuri Drive in Tanuri Ridge) — Image by kenne
This time of year the Catalina Foothills are a blaze
with the yellow blossoms of the Arizona state tree, the Blue Palo Verde.
— kenne
