Palo brea

Parkinsonia praecox

Description

The Palo brea grows into a small to medium size deciduous tree, reaching 20-25 ft. high and as wide. Trunks and branches are very distinctive due to their bright chartreuse-green bark and twisting branch character. Medium green leaves are bipinnately divided into 1-2 pairs of leaflets and attach to stems covered with many thorns. Early spring is a time when a very showy display of colorful yellow flowers occurs.

This attractive tree, native to the hot and summer dry climates of Mexico and South America, is one of the popular choices for southwestern style gardens in the Inland Empire. It’s attractive green bark and intense spring flower display make it ideally suited as a specimen feature among boulders, in raised planters and with other plants from the Southwest. This tree will shed its leaves during summer drought if periodic water is not provided.

Plant Type: Tree
Foliage Character: Winter deciduous, Drought deciduous
Habit: Open, Multi-trunk, Low-branching
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Medium green
Flower Color: Yellow
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Sand, Deep soil
Exposure Adaptations: Heat, Drought, Aridity, All day sun
Function: Wildlife value, Specimen, Shade Tree, Raised planters, Flowering accent plant, Civic spaces, Attracts bees
Height: 20 ft. – 25 ft.
Width: 20 ft. – 25 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 2

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 2 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another two weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
To save water, in many cases you can go longer in between waterings during the winter, often up to 3-4 weeks between watering for well-established plants. Two weeks after watering, check the soil approximately 4” below the surface. If it is still significantly moist, you can wait longer before watering again.
In most cases, if you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, you may use these features to save some water in in the fall and winter. If you are using automatic weather adjusting functions, continue to allow the timer to run every two weeks. It will adjust the number of minutes it runs to account for the cooler weather.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

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Palo brea

Description

Watering Schedule: Low 2

Important Notes

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