Trees

We recommend the following drought-tolerant trees for Tucson, AZ and low desert regions of Southern Arizona. Property owners should select trees for function, whether it's providing cool shade, screening for privacy or enhancing views. These trees were selected for use in water efficient landscapes and most require very little maintenance.

Photos	Name	Description
Click on photos or the name of the tree for more information
	Guajillo Tree Acacia berlandieri	Guajillo is a small accent tree with delicate, fern-like foliage. Drought tolerant, Guajillo tree survives on low amounts of rainfall. It grows to about 12' tall with an equal spread.
	Willow Acacia Acacia salicina	Willow Acacia has narrow leaves and a weeping growth habit making it an ideal tree for use in space restricted areas like parking lots. In Tucson, it grows to 40' tall with a 20' spread.
	Sweet Acacia Acacia farnesiana	The attractive umbrella shape and golden-yellow flowers have made the Sweet Acacia one of the most popular landscape trees in Arizona. Grows to 20' tall with a 20' spread.
	Palo Brea Tree Parkinsonia praecox	Palo Brea is a semi-evergreen tree with a wide, open and spreading crown, making it a favored shade tree with age and proper pruning. Grows 25' tall with a 25' spread.
	Blue Palo Verde Parkinsonia florida	Highly valued for its fantastic mid-spring flower display, the Blue Palo Verde is native to Southern Arizona. It grows on minimal water to about 25' tall with a 25' spread.
	Desert Willow Chilopsis linearis	Desert Willow tree is known for its fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers. Flower color ranges from white to purple. It grows at a moderate rate to about 20' tall with a 20' spread.
	Texas Ebony Ebenopsis ebano	A medium-sized, highly decorative tree, Texas Ebony is remarkably drought-tolerant and grows quite well in Southern Arizona. It grows slowly to 30' tall with a 30' spread.
	Argentine Mesquite Prosopis alba	Argentine Mesquite is fast growing, vigorous and very drought-tolerant. It is larger and has a rounder, wider crown than other mesquite trees. Grows to 40' tall with a 60' spread.
	Chilean Mesquite Prosopis chilensis	Chilean Mesquite grows either singly or multi-trunked with dark, coarse textured bark. It sheds most of its foliage in the winter. Grows to 30' tall with a 40' or greater spread.
	Velvet Mesquite Prosopis velutina	Native to Southern Arizona, the Velvet Mesquite is a low branching, open tree with dark, almost black, shaggy bark. Velvet mesquite tree grows to 25' tall with a 35' spread.
	Chinese Pistache Pistacia chinensis	Chinese Pistache makes a wonderful shade tree with vibrant fall color. Its leaves turn a red to orange color in the fall. In Tucson, Chinese Pistache grows to 40' tall with a 35' spread.
	Chaste Tree Vitex agnus-castus	Chaste Tree is a small to medium-sized, highly attractive ornamental tree valued for its aromatic leaves and glorious flower display. It grows to about 20' tall with a 20' spread.