Olneya tesota

Ironwood, Ironwood

Family: Fabaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Ironwood is a native shrub found in the Peninsular Ranges and southern deserts in rocky washes and desert landscapes at elevations below 1,300 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces purple-pink flowers with white suffusion, nestled in axillary racemes with yellow-white to pink banner and keel. Growing as a generally armed, canescent shrub reaching several meters tall, it develops a dense, multi-stemmed form with distinctive branching. Its leaves are even-pinnate with 8 to 21 thick, obovate or elliptic leaflets arranged alternately or in clusters, with a pointed axis extending beyond the leaflet tips. The plant produces persistent, slowly dehiscent fruits that are oblong or elliptic and plump, typically containing one to three seeds.

Habitat: Often abundant in washes

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 1300 m

Bioregions: PR, DSon

California counties: Riverside, Imperial, San Bernardino, San Diego

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.