TEXAS PALOVERDE
Cercidium texanum - Caesalpiniaceae, Caesalpinia Family
DESCRIPTION:
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Small spiny tree with zigzagged
branches, bark and branches
green.
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Height: 12-20 feet.
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Flowers: Bright yellow, spotted with
red.
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Fruit: 1 to 21/2-inch-long flat pod.
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Foliage: Dense, dark leaflets-,
deciduous during drought.
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Bark: Thin, smooth, greenish; brown
onold trunks.
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Growth rate: Moderate.
REQUIREMENTS:
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Sun: Partial shade to full sun (more
common).
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Soil: Any.
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Drainage: Well-drained.
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Water: Low; drought tolerant.
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Maintenance: Avoid damaging bark.
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Propagation: Seed; semihardwood
cutting in fall.
NATIVE HABITAT:
Brush-grassland.
WILDLIFE USE:
Bees and butterflies use; deer browse; birds and rodents eat
seeds. Similar to retama with a few differences: paloverde is more drought
tolerant; trunk is green like the branches; foliage is denser-, similar flowers
bloom for a shorter period; straight short spines are not as vicious as retamas'
recurved spines.
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