Prosopis alba
Native to South America, the Argentine mesquite is a beautiful tree with darker bark and a more vigorous growth rate than many other mesquite trees. Here in Southern Arizona, it grows to 40 feet high with a spread of 60…
Fraxinus velutina
This fast-growing, deciduous tree reaches thirty to forty-five feet and spreads twenty-five to forty-five feet or more, depending on conditions. It produces dark green, three- to six-inch-long leaves that are divided int…
Parkinsonia florida
Blue palo verde tree is easily distinguished by its blue-green bark and brilliant yellow flower display. It can grow to 25 feet tall with a 25 foot spread. Its tiny leaves are cold and drought deciduous but, due to its b…
Brachychiton populneus
The bottle tree is a fast-growing evergreen with poplar-like, dark green, dense, pointed foliage. It has a broad trunk that tapers into a pyramidal shape when young. As it matures, the trunk widens and has the ability to…
Vitex agnus-castus
Chaste tree grows quite well in Southern Arizona, though it has its origins in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Very shrub-like and naturally multi-trunked, it can be trained to grow as a small tree eventually reac…
Prosopis chilensis
Chilean mesquite tree is popular in Southern Arizona because of its rapid growth, lower water requirement and ability to provide shade. Native to South America, the Chilean mesquite grows either singly or multi-trunked r…
Ulmus parvifolia
This fast-growing shade tree grows thirty to forty feet tall with an equal spread and develops a broad, vase-like shape with a pendulous, weeping branch habit. It is semi-deciduous, losing its leaves in late December in…
Ficus carica
The common fig tree is a deciduous, spreading, multi-trunk tree with smooth, gray bark that grows to heights of fifteen to thirty feet and has a wide but low, open canopy. It has large multi-lobed, showy, dark green foli…
Lagerstroemia indica
This deciduous tree grows quickly to heights of fifteen to twenty feet and six to fifteen feet wide, with single or multiple trunks and a rounded crown. The leaves are small, rounded and deep green, and turn beautiful co…
Olneya tesota
Desert ironwood is a member of the pea family and its leaves and flowers resemble the sweet pea. This single- or multi-trunk tree reaches heights of twenty-five feet with a nearly equal spread, and is slow-growing. Ironw…
Parkinsonia x
This semi-deciduous, “thorn-less” tree has characteristics of the foothills, blue, and Mexican palo verde. It is quite similar to the other Parkinsonia species, growing rapidly to heights of twenty to twenty-five feet wi…
Chilopsis linearis
Desert willow trees come in many varieties. Native to southwest U.S. and northern Mexico, this small, deciduous tree has narrow, bright green leaves and colorful, trumpet shaped flowers. During the cold season, desert wi…
Pyrus kawakamii
The Evergreen Pear Tree <em>(Pyrus kawakamii)</em> is prized for its beautiful winter color. It grows moderately from fifteen to thirty feet high with an equal but irregular spread. It has dark green, glossy, oval-shaped…
Pistacia lentiscus
This dense evergreen makes an excellent screen, growing twenty to twenty-five feet high and wide. It can be trained as a single or multi-stem tree or a large hedge. Its small, leathery leaves are olive green and have thr…
Lysiloma watsonii
Feather bush is a graceful, single- or multi-trunk evergreen or semi-deciduous tree with a wide, spreading growth habit to heights of fifteen to twenty feet and widths of about fifteen feet. It has lacy, bright green to…
Oleo europaea
The fruitless olive is a distinctive evergreen that grows at a slow to medium rate to twenty-five to thirty feet tall and wide, and has an airy appearance. It is either a single- or multiple-trunk, has narrow, gray-green…
Acacia berlandieri
Guajillo is a small, spreading tree that grows to 12 feet tall by 12 feet wide. It is very shrub-like but can be trained into a small accent tree. Naturally multi-trunked, it is evergreen in the low elevation zones and b…
Prosopis glandulosa
Honey mesquite is a willow-like, deciduous tree with an open, spreading crown and low growing, twisted branches. It reaches heights of thirty-five feet with a thirty- to forty-foot spread. The tree has a delicate leaf ca…
Jacaranda mimosifolia
This magnificent, tropical beauty grows twenty-five to forty feet with an equal spread. Its tall canopy has an open, irregular shape and usually develops multiple trunks. Jacaranda produces soft, delicate, velvety, fernl…
Fraxinus greggi
The hardy evergreen is a multi-trunk tree that grows quickly to eighteen feet with a spread of twelve to fifteen feet. Its smooth, brownish-gray bark darkens as the tree matures. This tree produces bright green leaves th…
Acacia aneura
Mulga is a striking evergreen that grows to a moderate fifteen to twenty feet with a ten- to twelve-foot spread. It is an upright, broadleaf tree with dense, needle-like, silvery-gray foliage that gives it an interesting…
Parkinsonia praecox
Sometimes called Sonoran palo verde, the palo brea tree has a wide, open and spreading crown, making it a favorite shade tree in Tucson and Southern Arizona. This drought-tolerant, native tree is perfect for xeriscapes a…
Prunus cerasifera
The attractive, deciduous tree has an upright, spreading habit with a rounded crown, and is a moderate- to fast-grower reaching fifteen to twenty-five feet tall and about fifteen to twenty feet wide. In spring, beautiful…
Quercus virginiana
This majestic evergreen grows forty to fifty feet tall and almost as wide with a broad, rounded canopy, horizontal branches, and thick, leathery, green leaves. During cold winters, the tree defoliates and new green leave…
Acacia farnesiana
Sweet acacia is a small to medium-sized tree that grows to 20 ft. tall and develops a 20 foot canopy. Fragrant, golden yellow, puffball-like flowers appear from October to March. Flowers are followed by short, dark brown…
Ebenopsis ebano
Texas ebony tree grows quite well in Southern Arizona. Native to the Chihuahuan desert, this highly decorative tree is remarkably drought tolerant. Under ideal conditions, it grows to 30 feet tall with an equal spread. M…
Calia secundiflora (formerly Sophora secundiflora)
The Texas Mountain Laurel <em>(Calia secundiflora)</em> is well-known for its pendulous clusters of purple, fragrant flowers that look as good as they smell. This popular plant is often used as a flowering, evergreen shr…
Cordia boissieri
Texas olive is an evergreen to semi-deciduous tree reaching fifteen to twenty feet tall and about twenty-five feet wide. It has multiple trunks with a dark gray bark and deep green, oval leaves that are large and leather…
Prosopis velutina
Native to Southern Arizona, the velvet mesquite is a low branching, open tree with dark, almost black, shaggy bark. It grows wild along the washes, sometimes forming woods in the foothills surrounding Tucson. The velvet…
Acacia pendula
The graceful medium-sized evergreen grows twenty feet tall and fifteen feet wide with pendulous, weeping branches and multiple trunks. It has striking shiny, silvery, grayish-blue foliage that is long and thin, along wit…
Acacia salicina
Willow acacia is an Australian tree that provides refreshing shade in low desert regions of Southern Arizona. It has narrow leaves and a weeping appearance, making it ideal for use in space restricted areas such as parki…
