Yellow Palo Verde Fabaceae Parkinsonia (Cercidium)
microphylla
Leaf: Alternate, bipinnately compound, with only 2 major leaflets making it
appear as a pair of pinnately compound leaves, each about ½ inch long, green
and short lived.

Flower: Loose clusters of bright yellow flowers with 5 lobes, entire flower
½ inch across, appearing in spring and early summer.

Fruit: Two to 4 inch cylindrical legume swollen at seeds, sharply pointed at
ends, light brown, matures in the summer, persist on the tree.

Twig: Slender to moderately stout, yellow-green, smooth, each short twig ending
in a sharp point.

Bark: Initially smooth and yellow-green, later turning light brown and a bit
scaly.

Form: Large shrub or small tree (up to 25 feet tall) with a crocked trunk and
a wide spreading crown with many fine branches, leafless for much of the year.