Kingdom Plantae Family Fabaceae Tribe Caesalpinieae Higher classification Caesalpinieae | Order Fabales Subfamily Caesalpinioideae Scientific name Parkinsonia Rank Genus | |
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Lower classifications Parkinsonia aculeata, Parkinsonia florida, Parkinsonia microphylla, Parkinsonia raimondoi | ||
Parkinsonia /ˌpɑːrkᵻnˈsoʊniə/, also Cercidium /sərˈsɪdiəm/, is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 12 species that are native to semi-desert regions of Africa and the Americas. The name of the genus honors English apothecary and botanist John Parkinson (1567–1650).
Contents
They are large shrubs or small trees growing to 5–12 m (16–39 ft) tall, dry season deciduous, with sparse, open, thorny crowns and green bark. The leaves are pinnate, sometimes bipinnate, with numerous small leaflets; they are only borne for a relatively short time after rains, with much of the photosynthesis carried out by the green twigs and branches. The flowers are symmetrical or nearly so, with five yellow or white petals. The fruit is a pod containing several seeds.
Most American species are known by the common name of palo verde or paloverde, from the Spanish words meaning "green pole" or "green stick". This name is derived from its characteristic green trunk. The palo verde (not species-specific) is the state tree of Arizona.
Parkinsonia garden plants
Ecology
A major pollinator for Parkinsonia species in the southwestern United States and western Mexico is Centris pallida, a solitary bee known as the digger or pallid bee. C. pallida obtains nectar and pollen from this plant to fill a brood pot so that their larva will have food when they hatch. The nectar and pollen give its bee bread a strong orange color.
Selected species
