Olneya tesota

 Olneya tesota (ironwood) (palo fierro)

Fabaceae

• It is a moderate-sized, winter deciduous tree that grows 15-30 feet in height with a spreading crown and this scaly gray bark. Ironwood is sensitive to cold temperatures and does not extend into the Mojave Desert or higher elevations of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. It favors broad washes and middle slopes of large alluvial fans, often occurring with blue palo verde (Parkinsonia florida). The pinate gray-green leaves of ironwood features a pair of sharp, curved spines beneath each leaf along the major branches and trunk of the tree. Although many desert trees serve an important ecological role as nurse plants-aiding in the establishment of seedlings. Ironwood is also a legume with root nodules that fix nitrogen. The name ironwood come from the extremely high density of its wood, which is so dense that it will sink in water. "California Desert Plants, Philip W Rundel, Robert J Gustafson, Michael E Kauffmann."
• Ironwoons often act as a nursery for tender, young saguaros which, many years later, outgrow or even kill their protective cover. --- The greyish-green leaflets, combined with blossoms varying from deep violet to white, give a pale purplish cast to the washes and slopes where ironwood lives. Ironwoods obtain heights of 30 feet and produce one of the heaviest woods in the world. This fine hardwood is used for radiantly polished woodcarvings of desert and sea animals by the Seri Indians. At the northern edge of their range, ironwoods freeze often and become more sparse. They seldom extend above 2, 500 feet. Bee pollinated, they have an extremely compact flowering season ranging from three weeks to as little as six days. This season begins in mid-March on the Mexican border but is initiated later, around mid-May, farther north or at higher elevations. "Arizona Highways Presents Desert Wildflowers 1988"
• Seed in pots for transplanting/ Scarify seed and soak 4-8 hours in hot water/Time of planting: spring-summer. "Arizona Highways Presents Desert Wildflowers, 1988".
• Ironwood is one of the more conspicuous landscape features of the Sonoran Desert. It characteristically develops into a small tree with several massive trunks, shredding gray bark, dense gray-green foliage, and short, paired, sharp spines. The tree is long lived and slow growing. Masses of pale, violet-pink flowers are usually produced in May and develop into short, thick pods in June and July. Each pod bears one, two or occasionally three or four seeds. The wood is extremely hard, does not float, and burns with a hot flame. Ironwood trees are characteristic elements of the low semi-riparian gallery "forests" along arroyos, floodplains, and drainageways of even minor size. Smaller individuals also occur on rocky slopes. It is common on the mainland and Tiburon and San Esteban Islands. In recent years ironwood stands on the mainland have been over-harvested for Seri wood sculptures. Animal Food: mule deer were said to feed on the green, leafy twigs. Boat Paddle: the dark heartwood was preferred for making the blades of the double-bladed balsa paddle because the wood entered the water easily due to its own weight. Firewood: ironwood is one of the finest firewoods. The preferred fuel was the dead wood, although, the drier green wood was also used. Ironwood gives such a hot fire that it was thought that continued use would injure the lungs. Waste chips from sculptures making were used for cooking fires. Fishing and Hunting: a mash made from the seeds was used to still or calm wind-roughed water surfaces in an estero. The fisherman carried seeds for this purpose, chewed them and spat the mash into the water. The roughended water surface was said to still quickly, so that one could see through the water to spear crabs or fish in the shallow water. The club for killing fish and sea turtles was made from ironwood. The detachable foreshaft of a sea turtle harpoon was often made from ironwood. Harpoon points were sometimes made from the lighter-colored wood, and projectile points were occasionally made from dead wood. In summer, hunters expected to find mule deer in the shade of larger ironwood trees. Since a sea turtle home was a good place to hunt turtles, the men of the Tiburon region made some artificial turtle homes, probably during the early twentieth century. It was said they made at least several of these artificial homes by dropping dead ironwood logs into the Infiernillo shallows in likely places. The turtles utilized these homes and the men hunted them there in the summer, although only during high tide. In time the ironwood disintegrated and the practice was not repeated. Food: the ripe pods were gathered in early summer. The pods, cached by pack rats, were also gathered during subsequent months from the nests. The dry, mature seeds were cooked in water, drained, and cooked for a longer time in a second water until soft. The seeds were cooked in a second water to get rid of the unpleasant smell. The seed coats floated to the surface and were discarded. The cooked seed were eaten whole or ground and salted. The Seri said the ground mixture was oily and tasted like peanut butter. The seeds were also boiled with meat. This was the only food which the Seri cooked in a second water. The seeds contain canavalin, a mild toxin also known to occur in  jack beans. Food Gathering and Preparation: the chisel-pry bar for century plants was made from the dead wood, as was the large pestle for pounding mesquite pods in bedrock mortars. Branched poles of lighter-colored wood were often used to make a meat rack. Games: a solid ironwood ball, about the size of an ordinary softball, was used in the men's football race. The ball was kicked and the race run over a considerable distance, probably on the order of 4 to 10 km. It was run along the beach were cactus and brush would not interfere. There were four sides, each with a runner kicking an ironwood ball. The men on a side relieved each other in informal relays, and usually only one or two finished. The ball was also made of mesquite. Medicine: sapwood was placed overnight in water and about one-half liter of the liquid drunk as an emetic. The same liquid was also taken to prevent one from "breathing hard" when running. Music: the violin bow was sometimes made from the dark heartwood. The musical rasp was normally made of ironwood, sawed and filed to shape. The untouched portion of the handle was sometimes decorated with a carved design. This instrument was a popular item of purchase by tourists. One end of the musical rasp was placed on an inverted basket which acted as a resonator. A rasping sound was produced by sliding a stick back and forth across the notches with a rhythmic flick of the wrist. Oral Tradition: a giant chewed ironwood seeds into a mash and blew it out of his mouth while he was on his balsa on a windy day. The cater calmed and he was able to see through it to harpoon fish. The Supernatural: a drink used in the vision quest for power was made from a piece of green ironwood. The wood was cut from from the region of junction of the green branch and the main trunk or old wood. After the wood soaked in water for several days the liquid was ready for drinking. Sculpture: since the 1960s the Seri have become famous for their ironwood sculpture. Shelter: ironwood poles were occasionally used for houseposts. Tanning: seeds collected from the ironwood trees or pack rat nests were used to tan deer hides. The seeds were removed from the pods by soaking them in water. The seeds were mashed and rubbed into the skin, which was then allowed to dry for two to three days. Next, the skin was soaked in salt water for a day and then kneaded. Mashed green twigs. were also used in tattooing practices. Tattoo: the ashes were used in tattooing practices. Weapons: long knives were said to have been used for fighting. Projectile point occasionally were made. "People of the Desert and Sea, Ethnobotany of the Seri Indians".