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Parkinsonia praecox
Parkinsonia praecox, the Sonoran palo verde, is a small, drought-tolerant tree from dry parts of Mexico to Argentina, grown for its yellow spring flowers and green bark. The key to growing it is to water sparingly, since overwatering makes weak wood that can collapse.
Parkinsonia praecox (syn. Cercidium praecox), the palo brea or Sonoran palo verde, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the dry Neotropics from Mexico to Argentina. A small tree reaching 6 to 9 m (20 to 30 ft), it is usually a bit wider than it is tall.
Parkinsonia praecox is valued as a xeriscaping ornamental for its yellow wands of early-blooming flowers, its chartreuse-to-green bark, and its graceful branching habit. A drought-adapted species, it drops its leaves in the dry season. Overwatering will cause it to grow rapidly with weak wood, and then it is likely to collapse.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Parkinsonia praecox by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
