Olneya tesota (Ironwood)

Photographs

My photos:

These photos are from the Palm Canyon wash in Anza Borrego State Park.

More photos:

Field guide to the Sonoran Desert displays a watercolor showing leaves, flowers and seed pod.

click photo to enlarge

Plant Information

Fabaceae

In the garden:

Ironwood is a grayish tree with a broad crown,15 to 25 feet tall. The bark is thin and scaly. Branches are armed with paired spines, erect in youth, and spreading in age. Gray-green leaves are pinnately compound and deciduous; the old leaves fall after bloom, but are quickly replaced with new leaves. The showy flowers are pale rose-purple, with a sweet pea-like appearance, and occur before the new growth of leaves in April or May. Pods are 2 inches long. This tree has an extremely hard and heavy heartwood—hence, it’s name. It is deciduous in hard frosts and cannot endure prolonged freezes. It can tolerate any amount of summer heat.

In the wild:

Found in sandy wash areas of the desert where some deep water is usually available, below 2000 feet.

Ethnobotany:

The wood is hard and stong. It's heavy, it will not float. Native people used it to make tools and for building. The seeds are edible after roasting, or made into flour cakes.

Field Trips
Anza Borrego Caspers Holy Jim Canyon Idyllwild
Joshua Tree Mt Palomar Rancho Santa Ana Torrey Pines

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