Cercidium floridum
Yuma Co., AZ
Apr 1979

Cercidium floridum
Maricopa Co., AZ
Nov 2007

Cercidium microphyllum
Maricopa Co., AZ, near Ajo
Nov 2007

Trees and Shrubs of Kern County (Jan 2013)

Parkinsonia aculeata Linnaeus 1753. Mexican Palo Verde.  Horse bean (Twisselmann). Native to the Sonoran Desert to South America and Florida.  Similar to native palo verde in California in having green stems and yellow flowers, differing by the presence of thorns at nodes and by the more numerous leaflets (30–60), compared to 2–6 or 8–16 in the California species, which do not occur in Kern Co. Twisselmann indicated that he knew horse bean from one spontaneous plant near Maricopa that had disappeared, and that it was to be expected near the freeway and garden plantings. CCH records for Kern Co include 3 other sites, one along I-5 at the foot of the grapevine, another at Rose Station, and the third from east end of Hart Park, south side of Kern River.