ORANGE COUNTY ZOO
Photo courtesy of
Irvine Park Railroad
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The Orange County Zoo is
owned and operated by the
County
of Orange, California.
Web page produced by the
Orange County Zoological Society,
Copyright 2005.
Blue Paloverde
Cercidium floridum
Paloverde means green stick or green tree in Spanish. The
paloverde is a spiny, small tree that is leafless most of the year. It can
reach a height of 30 feet. The bark, trunk, and branches are blue-green
and smooth. The clusters of flowers are bright yellow, sometimes with red
spots. The fruit is an oblong, flat, thin pod with 2-8 bean-like seeds.
The blue paloverde is found in Arizona, southern California, and New Mexico along washes, valleys, and lower slopes of deserts and desert grasslands.
Although the paloverde will burn, it is not a particularly
good firewood. Twigs and pods serve as browse for wildlife emergency food
for livestock. The seeds are eaten by rodents and birds. and the flowers
are a source of honey.
Native American Usage
The Cahuilla Indians cooked and ate the pods. The seeds were ground into
meal for mush or cakes.