Tree
Cascalote
Tara cacalaco · Fabaceae
Also called: Cascalote, Cascabela
Cascalote (Tara cacalaco) is a low-water tree well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It grows to 15-20 ft H x 15-20 ft W in full sun, with a slow to moderate growth rate.
Cascalote at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun
- Mature size
- 15-20 ft H x 15-20 ft W
- Growth rate
- Slow to moderate
- Bloom
- Bright yellow, showy erect flower spikes, Fall into winter (October-January)
- Cold hardiness
- Hardy to about 22-25 F; USDA zones 9-11 (young trees frost-sensitive)
- Soil
- Well-drained soils; tolerant of alkaline and rocky desert soils. Needs good drainage.
- Native range
- Mexico (southern/central Mexico); not native to the Sonoran Desert
- Best used as
- Specimen/accent tree, Patio tree, Fall/winter color focal point, Small shade tree
- Wildlife
- Showy winter flowers attract bees and hummingbirds during the cool season when little else blooms; pollinators favored.
- Toxicity
- Not notably toxic; the species is armed with sharp thorns/prickles on trunk and branches that present a physical hazard.
How to grow Cascalote in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Deep, infrequent irrigation once established; water deeply every 2-3 weeks in summer and reduce in winter. Drought tolerant but looks best with occasional deep soaks.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Low fertilizer needs as a nitrogen-fixing legume; little to no feeding required. Optional light spring application on young trees to aid establishment.
Pruning & care
Prune in late spring after frost danger and after flowering to develop a single or multi-trunk canopy and remove low/crossing branches. Mature trunks and branches bear stout thorns/prickles, so structure carefully away from walkways. A thornless selection ('Smoothie') is available.
Notes
Valued for dramatic upright spikes of bright-yellow flowers blooming in fall and winter, followed by reddish-bronze seed pods, atop a rounded canopy of glossy blue-green compound leaves. Evergreen to semi-evergreen. The straight species has corky-based thorns on the trunk; the thornless 'Smoothie' cultivar is popular for patios. Formerly Caesalpinia cacalaco. Frost-tender when young—protect in cold Tucson microclimates.
Sources: AMWUA 'Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert'; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Arid Zone Trees / Mountain States grower references