Carried by 1 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Olneya tesota is a perennial flowering tree of the Fabaceae family, legumes (peas, beans, etc), which is commonly known as Ironwood or Desert Ironwood. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Olneya. This tree is part of the western Sonoran Desert complex in the Southwestern United States, which includes flora such as palo verde, saguaro, ocotillo, brittlebush, creosote bush, and mesquite. The Desert Ironwood grows as a bush or tree and reaches heights of about 10 meters (33 feet), and average trunk diameters of about 60 centimeter (24 inches); in exceptional sites in larger protected washes, greater height and more massive.
Tree
20 - 33 ft Tall
Rounded
Slow
Purple
Spring
Full Sun
Low
Moderate
Fast
Adaptable, tolerant of sand, loam and clay.
For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds need no treatment; soaking in water 12-24 hrs. may improve germination. Stored seeds soak in water 24-36 hrs.; scarification before soaking may improve germination. Seedlings damp-off readily (USDA Forest Service 1974).
8, 9, 10, 11, 12*, 13*, 14, 19, 21, 23
Washes
Creosote Bush Scrub
Butterflies and moths supported
1 confirmed and 1 likely
Funereal Duskywing
Erynnis funeralis