Virginia Tech Dendrology

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. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
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