desert ironwood Fabaceae Olneya tesota

Leaf:Alternate, evergreen, pinnately compound, 6 to 9 pairs of obovate leaflets, entire leaf 2 to 3 inches long, gray-green and finely hairy.
Flower:Pea-shaped, 1/2 inch long pink to light purple flowers, 5 petals, appears in late spring in small clusters.
Fruit:Two to 3 inch long brown legume, swollen at seeds, finely hairy, matures in late summer.
Twig:Slender, green (later gray-brown), with a pair of slender sharp spines at base of leaves.
Bark:Initially smooth and light gray-brown, later becoming darker, browner and shreddy, often there are distinct transitions between smooth and rough areas.
Form:A small tree (up to 30 feet) with a short trunk (often several trunks) and wide spreading crown.

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