Accession Count: 1
Common Name:
palo fierro
Family Name:
Fabaceae
Botanical Name:
Sopropis palmeri
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Palo fierro is a shrub or small tree that primarily grows near dry stream beds and canyons (4). It varies in height, typically about 1.5 meters (5 ft); the branches spread symmetrically and are flat-topped (1,5). The branches have white stipular spines, about 2.5 cm (1 in), that shear off with age (1,2,3). Leaves are bipinnately compound, clustered in shorter shoots with 3-10 pairs of leaflets; they are glabrous and elliptical to oblong shaped (1,2,4). The flowers are yellow, inflorescent, tubular, and fluffy looking due to the abundance of long stamens; the calyxes are about 2 mm long and the stamens 10-12 mm long (1,2). This species produces a bean pod for fruit, roughly 7 cm (2.8 in) long, with a linear to oblong shape (1,2,6). Exocarp and mesocarp are both thin and brittle, allowing the seed pods to easily open at maturity (2,4,5,6). The seeds are smooth, brown, and ellipsoid in shape, 7mm long (1,2,4,6). Pollen is allergenic.
Compound:
Pro pal
Geographic Origin:
North America
Ecozone Origin:
Nearctic
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
Palo fierro is distributed around the southwestern United States, but it is from the Baja California region growing around dry streambeds, washes, and canyons (1,2,3,4,5,6).
Cultivation Notes:
For S. palmeri seeds to germinate, the endocarp must be cracked or removed for water imbibition and gas exchange. Germination is most likely to occur when soil temperature is between 20 C to 40 C; with sufficient water, Prosopis seeds can geminate in only 6 hours at 35 C. The high temperature requirement is thought to prevent seeds from sprouting during intermittent winter rains. The seeds can germinate on soil surface but will more likely survive if covered by a thin (1-2 cm) layer of soil. (4)
Ethnobotany:
S. palmeri is used for fuel and occasional food for livestock (4,5,6). It also supplies some wood for the woodcarving industry of the Seri Indians (4). As a member of the Fabaceae family, this plant is a nitrogen fixing tree (7). Seeds are toxic.
Height:
0 - 5 feet
Width:
0 - 5 feet
Growth Rate:
Moderate Growing
Grow Season:
Summer
Flower Season:
Spring
Color:
Yellow
Function:
Shade
Spread:
Spreading
Allergen:
Allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Toxic
Hardy:
Tender
Water Use:
Low water Use
Citations:
- Encyclopedia of Life, Accessed September 11, 2024
- Biodiversity Heritage Library, p. 48, Accessed September 11, 2024
- Simpson, B. B. (1975), “Prosopis Palemri: a Relict of Ancient North American Colonization”, Madroño, https://www.jstor.org/stable/41424028?seq=3, Accessed September 11, 2024
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Accessed September 11, 2024
- Capparelli, A. “Ethnobotany of Prosopis Spp., Past Evidence of the Fruit Use and Experimental Archaeology Applied to the Interpretation of Ancient Food Processing”, Science Direct, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823320-7.00021-3, Accessed December 19, 2024
- Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the United States, Accessed December 19, 2024
- Winrock International, Accessed December 19, 2024
