| Parkinsonia | |
|---|---|
| Flowers and leaves of Parkinsonia aculeata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Tribe: | Caesalpinieae |
| Genus: | Parkinsonia L. |
| Type species | |
| Parkinsonia aculeata L.[1] |
|
| Species | |
|
See text |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Cercidiopsis Britton & Rose |
|
Parkinsonia ( /ˌpɑrkɨnˈsoʊniə/), also Cercidium /sərˈsɪdiəm/,[3] is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 12 species that are native to semi-desert regions of Africa and the Americas. The name of the genus honors English apothecary and botanist John Parkinson (1567–1650).[4]
They are large shrubs or small trees growing to 5–12 m (16–39 ft) tall, dry season deciduous, with sparse, open, thorny crowns and green bark. The leaves are pinnate, sometimes bipinnate, with numerous small leaflets; they are only borne for a relatively short time after rains, with much of the photosynthesis carried out by the green twigs and branches. The flowers are symmetrical or nearly so, with five yellow or white petals. The fruit is a pod containing several seeds. Most American species are known by the common name of palo verde or paloverde, from the Spanish words meaning "green pole" or "green stick". This name is derived from its characteristic green trunk.