Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

blue paloverde Fabaceae Parkinsonia florida (Benth. ex A. Gray) S. Watson Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: PAFL6
Leaf: Alternate, bipinnately compound, usually with only 2 major leaflets each about 1/2 inch long, blue-green and short lived.
Flower: Loose clusters of bright yellow flowers with 5 lobes, entire flower 3/4 inch across, appearing in spring and early summer.
Fruit: Two to 3 inch flat legume, light brown, mature in the summer and drop quickly.
Twig: Slender, blue-green and smooth, straight spine at base of leaf.
Bark: Initially smooth and green, later turning light brown and a bit scaly.
Form: Short tree (up to 30 feet tall) with a crooked trunk and a wide spreading crown with many fine branches, leafless for much of the year.
 Looks like: Jerusalem thorn - yellow paloverde

blue paloverde leaf image
blue paloverde flower image
blue paloverde fruit image
blue paloverde twig image
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blue paloverde map image

Additional Range Information: Parkinsonia florida is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information