Accession Count: 4
Common Name:
Alamos pea flower, Alamos pea tre
Family Name:
Fabaceae
Botanical Name:
Brongniartia alamosana
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Brongniartia alamosana is a deciduous shrub or small tree.The leaves of B. alamosana are odd-pinnate, with alternate leaf arrangement, and can range in size up to ten inches long with nine to 13 leaflets. Leaflets are ovate in shape, and smooth. The leaflets of the Alamos pea tree have a tiny pointed tip, and are one to two inches long. The leaves fall shortly after the summer monsoons end. New growth is very light green, almost white, due to the many small trichomes covering the leaf surface. The bark of the Alamos pea tree is gray-brown with vertical fissures and noticeable lenticels. The flowers of B. alamosana appear when the plant is mostly leafless, and are produced from the leaf axils, either as singular flowers or in clusters of two. Petals range from deep red to dark maroon with centers that are lime green. The pods are two to three inches long and burst open when ripe with a loud popping noise. This method of dispersal allows the seeds to be flung great distances from the parent tree.
Compound:
Bro ala
Geographic Origin:
Mexican Tropics
Ecozone Origin:
Neotropic
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
The genus name honors French botanist Adolphe T. Brongniart. The species name refers to the city of Alamos Sonora where it was first collected in 1890 by Edward Palmer. Hummingbirds are frequent visitors of the dark maroon colored flowers but they may not be effective pollinators. ======================================================================= Natural History of the UA Campus Arboretum Specimen: Although one of the UA trees is situated on a western exposure and the other on an eastern exposure, both trees depend on the heat retention of their buildings for protection from winter cold.
Cultivation Notes:
Brongniartia alamosana is a moderate growing shrub/small tree. As the Alamos Pea Flower is sensitive to cold, it should be protected from hard frost. This tree grows best in full sun or partial shade.
The campus specimens were grown by the Desert Legume Program, which has been testing the species at the Campus Ag Center in Tucson (a cold site where they froze to the ground but re-sprouted after 15°F in 1996) and at the DELEP test fields in Yuma (where they add three to four feet of growth each season.) According to Richard Felger’s work in Sonora, the species is damaged at temperatures lower than 25°F.
Ethnobotany:
As a light and airy shrub to small tree, B. alamosana is useful as a trainable patio tree, and can project tracery patterns in front of plain walls.
Height:
6 - 10 feet
Width:
6 - 10 feet
Growth Rate:
Moderate Growing
Grow Season:
Flower Season:
Summer
Color:
Red
Function:
Patio
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Semi-hardy
Water Use:
Moderate Water Use
Citations:
Jones, Warren D, and Charles M Sacamano. Landscape Plants for Dry Regions: More Than 600 Species from around the World. Fisher Books, 2000.
