palo blanco Fabaceae Lysiloma candidum Brandegee symbol: LYCA7 Leaf: Alternate, bipinnately compound, evergreen or nearly evergreen, 4 inches long with 1-3 pairs of major leaflets; 5-17 pairs of minor leaflets are narrowly elliptical to oval, 3/4 inch long, with entire margins, pale green above and below. Flower: Species is monoecious; very showy, occurring in rounded 3/4 inch wide white fluffy round heads; individual flowers are small with long white stamens; appearing in late spring to early summer. Fruit: A flattened red-brown bean pod to 6 inches long. Twig: Medium textured, zigzag, gray-brown in color, young twigs and buds with pale pubescence. Bark: Pale gray to white and smooth. Form: A small tree or large shrub to 30 feet tall. Looks like: desertfern - guajillo - whitethorn acacia Additional Range Information: Lysiloma candidum is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting palo blanco. External Links: USDA Plants Database © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson