Common Name: Blue Palo Verde

General Information

Parkinsonia florida is a prickly, deciduous shrub or a tree with a spreading crown; it usually grows from 2.5 - 8 metres tall, occasionally reaching 12 metres[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southwestern N. America - California, Arizona, northern Mexico

Habitat

Found mainly in fine soils along washes and on flood plains; for the most part at elevations below 1,100 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Parkinsonia florida is a plant of arid and semi-arid climates in southwestern N. America, experiencing high summer temperatures and a highly variable rainfall[].
Requires a sunny position, growing in soils with low levels of nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus. It is usually found on sandy to gravelly, coarse loamy to fine sandy soils overlain with fine gravel[].
The leaves of this plant are ephemeral, being mainly present in the rainy season. Much of the photosynthesis is carried out by the plant's green stems[].
This species occasionally forms hybrids throughout its range with yellow paloverde (Parkinsonia microphylla).
Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

Seeds - cooked[]. The dried beans were roasted (often until almost burnt) then ground into a powder and made into a mush or into cakes[]. Usually viewed as a famine food and only used when better foods were not available[]. The seedpods are 3 - 11cm long, each pod containing 1 - 8 (usually 3) flat seeds 9 - 12mm long and 5 - 7mm wide[].

Green pods - eaten raw[]. The immature pods and green seeds are eaten cooked[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is soft and close-grained. The trunk and any branches large enough were traditionally used to make ladles[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -