Desert Ironwood - Arizona Tree Profiles
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- "Olneya tesota is a perennial flowering tree of the family Fabaceae, legumes (peas, beans, etc.), which is commonly known as ironwood or desert ironwood. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Olneya. This tree is part of the western Sonoran Desert complex in the Southwestern United States, which includes flora such as palo verde, saguaro, ocotillo, brittlebush, creosote bush, and mesquite.
The desert ironwood grows as a bush or tree and reaches heights of about 10 metres (33 ft), and average trunk diameters of about 60 cm (24 in); in exceptional sites in larger protected washes it can reach greater height and a more massive trunk.
In younger trees, the bark is gray, shiny, and smooth; in older trees the bark is broken open. The tree is an evergreen plant, but can lose its leaves if temperatures fall below 2 °C (36 °F). In continual drought conditions leaves will be lost.
Leaves are bluish-green and pinnately compound. Leaves are arranged on a petiole, 6 in (15 cm) long, with 6-9 leaflets-(or variously up to 15, 7, 7-opposite, and one terminal), each being 0.7 to 2.5 cm (0.28 to 0.98 in). At the base of each pinnate leaf petiole grow two thorns, about 1 cm (0.39 in) long.
Bloom time occurs in late April/May to June. Flowers are of 5 unequal petals, in colors of medium purple, magenta-red, or also white to pale pink. Seedpods are 5-8 cm (2-4 in) long, and light reddish brown when seedpods are ripened. Two other species Parkinsonia florida-(Blue Palo Verde), and Acacia constricta-(Catclaw Acacia) have similar light red brownish seedpods. Catclaw acacia´s seedpods are noticeably J-shaped and of shorter length.
The desert ironwood, Olneya, is native to the southwestern United States and extreme northwestern Mexico in the Baja California Peninsula and the Sonoran Desert, and is partially an indicator species of that desert. Within Mexico its range includes the states of Baja California Sur and Baja California, on the Gulf of California side east of the cordillera ranges, and Sonora state west of the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera, in the south approaching the northern border of northern Sinaloa state. In the southwestern US its range includes the Colorado Desert of southeast Southern California, a part of the Sonoran Desert, and western and southern Arizona. Olneya does not range into the higher-elevation, colder, southeast of Arizona's Sonoran Desert region, nor into the sky islands of the Madrean Sky Islands region.
Ironwood Forest National Monument in south-central Arizona is named for Olneya tesota." - Wikipedia
From Stan Tekiela's "Trees of Arizona - Field Guide"
Height: 15-40'
Tree: small tree with a single crooked trunk that dives close to the ground, round irregular crown
Leaf: compound, oppositely attached, 2-3"
Bark: light green to brown and thin, becoming dark brown and creased with age
Flower: 5 petaled pea-like pink-to-lavender flower
Origin/Age: native: 1,500 years
Habitat: dry rocky and sandy soils, usually in washes, between 500'-2,500' in elevation
Range: southern and western Arizona, southeastern California, and northwest Mexico
Thank you very much for this video.
Being Dutch and very much in love with my favourite bushcraft knife, made from US CPM Cruwear steel and Sonora Desert Ironwood for the handle, it's awesome to see this tree in it's natural habitat. Learned something new.
The wood is imo, one of the most beautiful in the world, in sunlight it looks like there are specs of gold inside the wood.
Had to search online for the Superstition Mountains 'Lost Dutchman' story, interesting.
Learned it's the American English way to describe Germans actually, where the phrase 'Deutsch'/Lost Deutschman changed into 'Dutch'.
So, when in Arizona, no use running around looking for old Dutch traces, to find out they're actually German...sigh.
Learned something new again.
These videos are SO important, thank you for highlighting the amazing ecology of the South West US.
A wise and magical tree, far too good for burning.
Word of advice: if you going to plant an ironwood tree that you need to regularly trim the branches to fit your landscaping, like your home, they have THORNS! I have been bloody cut by these thorns on an Ironwood. Do what I learned: Fully clothed, jeans, long sleeve thick shirt, heavy duty shoes; gloves or better yet, snake tongs to grab and move small branches. These cut branches will attach themselves to my jeans if my legs happen to touch the thorny branches. The thorns are like tiny little hands trying to grab you all the time if you get close enough.
Ironwood is definitely my favorite desert tree. I would like to see you cover Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis), Catclaw Acacia (Senegalia greggii), Kidneywood (Eysenhardtia orthocarpa), and Elephant Tree (Bursera microphylla) too!
Great info! Thanks for the education. What surprised me most about Sedona is how lush it is for a desert landscape.
Cars from a Woman's Perspective you’re so lucky up there with all the juniper trees and manzanita bushes. I’m due for a trip to Sedona
Just bought some petrified iron wood at a antique shop. Feels and rings like metal iron. Really like it!
We need to protect this vital and beautiful environment
You are awesome! Please keep doing videos! I am studying arboriculture and will get my certification soon here in Arizona and these videos are helpful! Thank you!
Bre Hancock thank you so much Bre. My most recent video is all about Velvet Mesquites, which in my opinion are the most important tree to the Sonoran Desert ecosystem. Thank you for the feedback.
I have just get one from the gov here in Hermosillo, Sonora, México. Just waiting for the permit to cut from the root a pair of really dead and dry ficus trees that happen to be where I plan to plant the Ironwood tree
Wow!
Thank you for explaining that so well!
Thank you for loving Ironwoods
Thanks for the great information
Thanks for being interested in Ironwoods
Cool
I really liked this video , great info , can you do videos like this on other trees and cacti that grow in the Desert of arizona?
Check out my "Arizona Tree Profiles" Playlist where I've put all of those videos together. I'll have a lot more coming as well. The different tree species of Arizona and western North America is one of my passions. Glad you enjoyed
@@keeparizonawild156 excellent thank you can you do a video on Busera microphylla and Fagaroides?
now that's a cool tree! wonder if it can grow in Mediterranean climate
Yes they can definitely grow in Mediterranean climates. They struggle more with sub 20 winter temps.
You should do a video on palo verde!
And the different native varieties
@@thehhbros6456 I plan on doing vids for all the natives. I’m doing a Palo Verde vid this spring when they flower. So cool that you know Mike. Mike works with me every day so we talk about these topics all day long.
Wonderfully done video!! Where was this filmed at? Question, is the silver on the young bark the only way to distinguish this from mesquite? I have been looking for one of these "in the wild" but can only find mesquites?
This was filmed just south of Usery Pass in north east Mesa. Yes the silver bark is a give away. In the next two months they’re gonna start flowering so you’ll be able to distinguish them by their pink flowers. Mesquites don’t have pink flowers. They’re usually found in dry washes. There are probably 20 mesquites for every ironwood in most parts of the Sonoran Desert that I’ve been around.
@@keeparizonawild156 Oh Cool!! I will have to go over that way and search around. Only about 45 minutes from my house. Thank you for the info!!
@@keeparizonawild156 I have been waiting to see one in bloom too. Is this Meridian Trail?
There’s one in Quartzsite At that is 1000 years old.
I’d love to see that tree
Anybody happen to know exactly where that giant one is on Hwy 74?
I have a large Ironwood in southern Arizona that is way too big for my small property. Is it possible to pollard or top these to drastically reduce its size like they do for Crepe Myrtles?
How cold can they survive?
L0 they can handle the low 20s
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