Tree
Desert Museum Palo Verde
Parkinsonia x 'Desert Museum' · Fabaceae
Also called: 'Desert Museum' Palo Verde, Hybrid Palo Verde
Desert Museum Palo Verde (Parkinsonia x 'Desert Museum') is a low-water tree well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It grows to 20-25 ft H x 20-25 ft W in full sun, with a fast growth rate.
Desert Museum Palo Verde at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun
- Mature size
- 20-25 ft H x 20-25 ft W
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Bright yellow (large flowers, no red banner spotting), Long spring bloom (April-May) with intermittent reblooming through summer, especially with irrigation.
- Cold hardiness
- Hardy to about 15 F; USDA zones 8-11.
- Soil
- Adaptable to most well-drained desert soils including rocky and alkaline; tolerates caliche with good drainage. Avoid soggy, poorly drained sites.
- Native range
- Not a wild species; a sterile hybrid cultivar selected at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (Tucson) from parentage involving Parkinsonia florida, P. microphylla, and P. aculeata. Adapted to the Sonoran Desert.
- Best used as
- Shade tree, Patio/courtyard tree, Street and parking lot tree, Specimen/accent, Low-litter landscapes near pools and patios
- Wildlife
- Flowers provide nectar and pollen for native bees and other pollinators; being sterile it sets little to no seed, so it offers less seed forage but produces no volunteer seedlings.
- Toxicity
- Not considered toxic to humans or pets.
How to grow Desert Museum Palo Verde in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Drought tolerant once established; for best appearance in Tucson, water deeply every 2-3 weeks in summer and monthly or less in winter. Deep, infrequent watering keeps it healthy without forcing weak, overly fast growth.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Generally not needed (nitrogen-fixing legume); a light spring nitrogen feeding can be applied to young trees to encourage establishment. Avoid overfertilizing, which promotes weak limbs.
Pruning & care
Responds well to structural pruning; prune in late spring/early summer after the main bloom to develop strong scaffold branches and a single or multi-trunk form. Stake and train when young; thin to reduce wind resistance and remove watersprouts. Needs less pruning than seedy species since it is thornless and sterile.
Notes
Premier landscape palo verde: thornless, essentially seedpod-free (sterile), with larger and longer-lasting flowers and an upright vigorous habit. Low litter and no thorns make it ideal near patios, pools, and walkways. Requires good early staking and structural pruning because fast growth can lead to weak branch attachments and storm breakage if untrained.
Sources: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; AMWUA Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert; Tohono Chul