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 tree with a tropical appearance that makes it ideal for patio areas. Creamy white, ball-like flower clusters appear in the spring. Grows to 12 feet tall and wide.
	Willow Acacia Acacia salicina	Willow Acacia has narrow leaves and a weeping growth habit, making it an ideal tree for use around ponds or in oasis zones. Reaches a mature size of 40' tall by 20' wide.
	Sweet Acacia Acacia farnesiana	The attractive umbrella shape and golden-yellow flowers have helped make Sweet Acacia one of the most popular landscape trees in Arizona. Grows to 20' tall with a 20' canopy.
	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 wide canopy.
	Blue Palo Verde Parkinsonia florida	Blue-green color with bright yellow flowers makes the Blue Palo Verde an attractive tree. Minimal water requirements, but does best with a few deep irrigations in the summer.
	Desert Willow Chilopsis linearis	Desert Willow tree is known for its fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers. Flower color ranges from white to purple, with lavender flowers the most common. Grows to 20' tall.
	Texas Ebony Pithecellobium flexicaule	A small, highly decorative tree. Dark green leaves with smooth gray bark. A slow growing tree. Fragrant, white or yellow flowers bloom in spring. Texas Ebony grows 15' to 30' tall.
	Argentine Mesquite Prosopis alba	Argentine Mesquite is fast growing, vigorous and quite drought-tolerant. Its rough, dark trunk tends to grow more vertical than other mesquite trees. Grows to 30' tall and wide.
	Chilean Mesquite Prosopis chilensis	Chilean Mesquite grows either singly or multi-trunked with dark, coarse textured bark. Contorted branches give it an interesting, asymmetrical shape. Grows to 30' tall and wide.
	Chaste Tree Vitex agnus-castus	Chaste tree is very shrub-like, but can grow to 25' tall. Long, narrow spikes of purple flowers cover this tree in the summer months. Very aromatic with a long bloom period.