Parkinsonia

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Genus of legumes

title: "Parkinsonia" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["parkinsonia", "fabaceae-genera", "caesalpinioideae"] description: "Genus of legumes" topic_path: "general/parkinsonia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsonia" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of legumes ::

|image = Starr_010209-0260_Parkinsonia_aculeata.jpg |image_caption = Flowers and leaves of Parkinsonia aculeata |taxon = Parkinsonia (plant) |authority = L. |type_species = Parkinsonia aculeata |type_species_authority = L. |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = See text |synonyms = Cercidiopsis Britton & Rose

Cercidium Tul.

Peltophoropsis Chiov.

Rhetinophloeum H.Karst.

Parkinsonia , also Cercidium , 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).

They are large shrubs or small trees growing to 5 - tall, dry season deciduous, with sparse, open, thorny crowns and green bark. The leaves are pinnate, usually 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, derived from the Spanish words meaning "green tree". This name is given due to its characteristic green trunk. The palo verde (not species-specific) is the state tree of Arizona.

Ecology

A major pollinator for Parkinsonia species in the southwestern United States and western Mexico is Centris pallida, a solitary bee known as the digger or pallid bee. C. pallida obtains nectar and pollen from this plant to fill a brood pot so that their larvae will have food when they hatch. The nectar and pollen give its bee bread a strong orange color.

Selected species

References

References

  1. "''Parkinsonia'' L.". Missouri Botanical Garden.
  2. (2000-04-07). "Genus: ''Parkinsonia'' L.". United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607
  4. Quattrocchi, Umberto. (2000). "CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology". CRC Press.
  5. "Arizona State Tree".
  6. (11 July 2011). "Female Digger Bees {{!}} ASU - Ask A Biologist".
  7. "GRIN Species records of ''Parkinsonia''". United States Department of Agriculture.
  8. "Subordinate taxa of ''Parkinsonia'' L.". Missouri Botanical Garden.
  9. {{ITIS

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parkinsoniafabaceae-generacaesalpinioideae