Parkinsonia aculeata
Parkinsonia
Jerusalem thorn, Mexican palo verde
palo verde
yellowish green, twigs glabrous or sparsely pubescent (at least around nodes).
and branches green or yellowish green, erect, glabrous or strigulose, glabrescent.
appearing pinnate;
stipules obsolescent or spinescent, spines to 20 mm;
petiole obsolete;
pinnae 2(or 3);
petiolules 0.2–0.3 mm, sparsely pubescent;
rachillas (100–)150–600 mm, narrowly winged, with sparse, glandular patches in leaflet axils;
leaflets 40–76, alternate, subopposite, or opposite, blades oblanceolate to oblong, 2–8 × 0.9–3 mm, base attenuate, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces sparsely pubescent abaxially, glabrate adaxially.
clustered, alternate from spurs, even-bipinnate, sometimes appearing pinnate;
stipules present, caducous, minute, or spinescent; petiolate or petiole obsolete;
pinnae 2(or 3)[4], glands linear, minute, in sparse to dense patches between leaflets, in leaflet axils, or surrounding pulvini;
leaflets 2–76, alternate, subopposite, or opposite, blade margins entire, surfaces sparsely pubescent abaxially, glabrate or sparsely pubescent adaxially.
2–15-flowered, axis 8–18 cm, strigulose to glabrate;
bracts linear or lanceolate, 2 × 0.3 mm;
bracteoles caducous or subpersistent.
2–15-flowered, axillary, racemes [corymbiform];
bracts and bracteoles present.
5.4–13.8 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, joints 1.5–3.5 mm from flower, not bearded, nearer flower than pedicel base.
calyx lobes usually deciduous, sparsely pubescent abaxially, pubescent adaxially;
corolla 13–20 mm diam., petals light to deep yellow, adaxial one usually orange-dotted basally;
ovary sericeous.
caesalpinoid;
calyx actinomorphic, nearly aposepalous, nearly regular, lobes 5;
corolla yellow, erose-margined, glabrous except claw pubescent;
stamens 10, distinct or monadelphous, villous proximally, much longer than anthers;
anthers basifixed.
legumes, stipitate, compressed or subterete, sometimes torulose, oblong to linear, indehiscent, glabrous, glabrate, or pubescent.
subterete, constricted between seeds, 2–12 × 0.5–0.8 cm, glabrous.
(1 or)2–5.
1–5, oblong to suborbiculate in silhouette, 4–7 mm wide;
hilum apical or subapical.
= 14.
= 28.
Parkinsonia aculeata
Parkinsonia
The original distribution of Parkinsonia aculeata is unknown, possibly Central America and southern Mexico (R. S. Felger et al. 2001; G. P. Lewis et al. 2005; J. A. Hawkins et al. 2007). Parkinsonia aculeata is now extensively naturalized in the tropics and subtropics. Among native congenerics in the flora area, it shares adaxially pubescent calyx lobes only with P. microphylla and can be easily differentiated by the longer, winged rachillas, and 40–76, alternate or opposite leaflets per pinna versus (6–)12–16 and opposite per pinna in P. microphylla.
Hybrids between Parkinsonia aculeata and P. microphylla are known from the flora area. Individuals of P. aculeata × P. microphylla can be distinguished by the combination of rachillas of intermediate length (usually 2–6 times as long as in P. microphylla) and glandular patches completely or nearly completely surrounding the pulvini.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species ca. 12 (4 in the flora).
Taxa referable to Parkinsonia usually have been treated in Cercidium and Parkinsonia (C. S. Sargent 1889; I. M. Johnston 1924; L. D. Benson 1940; A. M. Carter 1974, 1974b) or within a broad Parkinsonia (S. Watson 1876; J. P. M. Brenan 1963; D. Isely 1975; R. M. Polhill and J. E. Vidal 1981; J. A. Hawkins 1996). Molecular evidence from the chloroplast genome indicated that, together, Cercidium and Parkinsonia form a strongly supported monophyletic group (E. M. Haston et al. 2005) and a broad circumscription is adopted here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Pinna rachillas (100–)150–600 mm, narrowly winged; leaflets 40–76, alternate, subopposite, or opposite (usually all on same rachilla); raceme axis 8–18 cm. | P. aculeata |
1. Pinna rachillas 1.5–40 mm, not winged; leaflets 2–16, opposite; raceme axis 0.4–3.8 cm. | → 2 |
2. Nodal spines absent, branch tips often spinescent; leaves appearing pinnate; petiole obsolete; leaflets (6–)12–16; rachillas with glandular patches surrounding leaflet pulvini or, at least, on opposing sides; sepal adaxial surfaces pubescent; petals light yellow, except adaxial one white or cream-yellow, not orange-dotted; ovaries densely sericeous; legumes constricted between seeds. | P. microphylla |
2. Nodal spines present; leaves evidently bipinnate; petiole 1.6–3.5 mm; leaflets 2–6 (or 8); rachillas with glandular patches on adaxial side, not surrounding leaflet pulvini; sepal adaxial surfaces glabrous; petals deep yellow, adaxial one often orange-dotted basally; ovaries glabrate or sericeous; legumes either not constricted between seeds or irregularly and indistinctly torulose. | → 3 |
3. Stems pale green; ovaries glabrate; legumes not constricted between seeds; Arizona, California, Nevada. | P. florida |
3. Stems dark to olive green; ovaries sericeous or glabrate; legumes irregularly and indistinctly torulose; s Texas. | P. texana |
CA
LA Plants
WildflowerSearch
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