The Desert Museum Palo Verde is a hybrid for the Tucson and Green Valley area, combining the favorable attributes of three palo verde species, including the Blue Palo Verde, Mexican Palo Verde and the Mexican Palo Verde.
This cultivar is touted to be fast growing, and with a longer flowering period than any of the parent plants. The mature height is about 25 feet tall and wide, slightly smaller than the larger Blue Palo Verde.
Like the parent plants, the Desert Museum Palo Verde has smooth, lime green bark that conducts photosynthesis along with the leaves. The overall coloring of this tree is on the bluish side. The flowers appear in March and last through May, occasionally blooming in the summer with less of a show.
The Desert Museum Palo Verde is hardy to 15 degrees, making it less cold hardy than the tough Blue Palo Verde. If you live in the Green Valley area, a better choice is the Blue, as temperatures do occasionally plummet below 15 degrees, which could cause significant damage especially on newly planted trees.
Reference: Mountain States Wholesale Nursery and Gregg Starr Nursery Plant Info Sheet, 1999.
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