Foothill Palo Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla syn. Cercidium microphyllum) is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae, native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is also known as Yellow paloverde, Littleleaf palo verde, Hillside paloverde, and Littleleaf horsebean. The genus name Parkinsonia honors John Parkinson, an English botanist. Foothill palo verde is the state tree of Arizona, USA. The Spanish common name 'paloverde' means green tree or green pole, in referring to the smooth green branches and twigs.
Foothill palo verde is a heat-resistant, slow-growing, erect-branching shrub or tree that grows up to 8 m tall, with 3.7-5.5 m spread, and a trunk diameter of 30 cm. It is mostly found growing on slopes, and is a common tree of the Sonoran Desert. Foothill palo verde branches 20 cm from the ground into 4-6 major stems. The bark is thin, smooth, glaucous, and yellow-green in color. As the tree age, the bark will turn to light brown and a bit scaly. The branches are spine-tipped. The twigs are slender to moderately stout, yellow green, smooth, up to 5.1 cm long. Each short twig ending in a sharp point. Some of the branches are shed during times of drought, and there are typically branch scars on the trunk, and fallen branches under the tree. The leaves are drought deciduous, alternate, yellow-green, bipinnately compound, pubescent, 2.5 cm long, with one pair of pinnae, each with 4-8 pairs of minute, less than 3 mm long, 1-1.8 mm wide, elliptical leaflets. The tree is spiny and is leafless most of the year.
The 5-petaled flowers are small, 8-12mm, pale yellow and bloom in spring. The tree may not flower every year as flowering depends on the amount of rainfall. The fruit is a legume, 4-8 cm long, and 1 cm wide, and constricted between seeds. The cylindrical pod is turgid, and ending in a flat triangular or sword-shaped beak. The pods ripen in July, and stick to the branches. Each pod contains 1-5 oblong-ovoid, brown seeds, 7-8 mm long. Allow pods to dry on plant, break open to collect seeds.
The pollen is an allergen, and the green seeds are edible. The seeds are delicious when eaten raw, and they taste very much like sweet, tender garden peas.
Native American in northwestern Mexico grind the beanlike seeds for flour, boil the green pods with meat, and eat the sweet green seeds as well as the flowers.
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