Chilopsis linearis

 Chilopsis linearis (desert-willow) (mimbre)

Fabaceae

• Desert-willow is our only California member of the tropical bignonia family, the Bignoniaceae. The growth form of desert-willow ranges from a sprawling shrub to a small tree reaching up to 20 feet in height. The name desert-willow comes from the fact that its long and narrow leaves 4-6 inches in length, resemble those of a true willow. This species is largely restricted to low-nutrient gravelly washes in Sonoran Desert areas such as in the Coahella Valley and Anza Borrego Desert State Park-although it extends into scattered areas of the lower Mojave Desert. As with the other species described above, desert-willow loses its leaves for three to four months in winter. Large, showy pink-to whitish-flowers are produced each spring and make desert willow an attractive plant for desert gardens. The fruits of desert-willow are elongate pod-like capsules 4-10 inches in length which enclose flat wind-dispersed seeds with silky hairs tufted at each end. "California Desert Plants, Philip W Rundel, Robert J Gustafson, Michael E Kauffmann."
• Although this tree has leaves like a willow, its flowers smell more like violets and look more like orchids. White, lavender, and yellow background colors are sprinkled with dots, blotches, and streaks representing the whole spectrum. These large blooms are perched on their branches in a manner which makes them perfect aids to bee and hummingbird-watching. Although they frequent desert washes, desert willows become abundant at higher elevations in grasslands and oak-juniper woodlands. Blooming seldom begins by mid-May and may end by early summer or add new flushes until early October. "Arizona Highways Presents Desert Wildflowers, 1988".