Parkinsonia aculeata
Palo verde · also Mexican palo verde, Parkinsonia, Jerusalem thorn
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Parkinsonia aculeata, also known as Jerusalem Thorn or Mexican Palo Verde, is a small tree or shrub with airy, light-textured foliage and often pendulous branches, producing showy yellow flowers. This species thrives in seasonally dry tropical climates, tolerating heat and dryness. It is durable, pest-free, and popular in subtropical landscapes, preferring full sun and occasional deep watering once established.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 1750.66%—8.0 in
- 520.01%36 yr7.5 in
- 40.00%—5.1 in
Traits
- Form
- Spreading
- Mature height
- 15–25 ft
- Canopy spread
- 20–25 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water needs
- Low
- Drought tolerance
- High
- Wildlife value
- Moderate
- Blooms
- Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug
Trunk diameters across every city: median 8.0 in, mean 8.8 in, 90th percentile 15 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
- Cayos Miskitos-San Andrés and Providencia moist forests
- Central American Atlantic moist forests
- Leeward Islands moist forests
- Northwest Andean montane forests
- Western Ecuador moist forests
Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
- Cauca Valley dry forests
- Central American dry forests
- Magdalena Valley dry forests
- Southern Pacific dry forests
Tropical & Subtropical Coniferous Forests
- Central American pine-oak forests
Deserts & Xeric Shrublands
- Galápagos Islands xeric scrub
Other Parkinsonia in the catalogue
5 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
