[Illustration: Cercidium floridum
Cercidium microphyllum]
Common Names: PALOVERDE, YELLOW PALOVERDE, BLUE PALOVERDE
Arizona deserts: (_Cercidium microphyllum_). Pale yellow. April-May.
Arizona desert. (_Cercidium floridum_). Bright yellow. April-May.
Pea family. Size: Green-barked tree up to 25 feet high.
Arizona Paloverdes (meaning green stick) are large shrubs or small trees
abundant along washes in the hotter, drier portions of the Sonoran
Desert. When in blossom in the springtime, they appear as masses of pale
yellow or golden bloom, and are a glorious sight, both as individual
trees and massed as borders along the courses of washes which they mark
with a line of color winding across the desert floor. During the dry
season, they are without leaves, but are readily recognized by the bark,
yellowish green in the case of _C. microphyllum_; blue green in _C.
floridum_.
After the petals form, seeds form in bean-like pods which are not
relished by livestock, but are eaten during periods of drought and when
other forage is scarce. Indians ground the seeds into meal.
When the trees are in blossom, they attract myriads of insects, some of
which, including Honeybees, seek the nectar. Wood is soft and the
branches are brittle and easily broken. It is unsuited for fuel as it
burns rapidly, leaves no coals, and gives off an unpleasant odor.