AZ
NM

kidneywood
Tahitian kidneywood
Arizona kidneywood
palo dulce
palo azul



Eysenhardtia orthocarpa (A. Gray) S. Watson
Eysenhardtia polystachya auct. non (Ortega) Sarg.


Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, tardily deciduous, to 6 inches long; with many narrowly elliptical glabrous leaflets, each with an entire margin and on a short petiole, light green above and below.
Flower: Borne on tall (to 6 inch), loose spikes at the ends of the twigs, white, fragrant (vanilla-like); appearing after rainfall at any time during the growing season.
Fruit: Flattened pod, light brown, 1/2 inch long; containing 1 kidney-shaped, smooth, red-brown seed.
Twig: Moderate, gray-brown and somewhat grooved below the nodes, buds are small, gray-brown and appressed.
Bark: Initially smooth and gray, Smooth and gray; later becoming ridged or developing a shreddy appearance, broken into small plates or loose scales.
Form: A multi-stem shrub or small tree to 20 feet tall.


Site: A rare plant of relatively moist sites, along watercourses and on canyon slopes; between 3500 and 6000 feet.

Tidbits: This small tree with lacy foliage and showy flowers makes a nice patio tree in zones 8-11.