Vegetation Around Las Vegas, Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis)

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Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis)
Trees Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas

Typical habitat is a desert wash

General: Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) is a short, spindly, many branched subtree (small tree or large shrub) with leaves that resemble those of true willow trees: long, narrow, and drooping. The leaves are drought deciduous, dropping off when the soil dries. Some of the long, narrow, seedpods remain on the tree throughout winter, helping with identification after the leaves fall. Flowers are large and tubular. For wild trees, the flower color is pale pink, while on cultivars the flowers are a dark red-purple.

Desert Willow are common components of wash communities in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones, often forming thickets.

Family: Catalpa [Bignonia] (Bignoniaceae).

Other Names: desert catalpa.

Plant Form: Short, spindly, many branching tree or large shrub.

Height: Usually 6-10 ft, to about 15 ft.

Desert Willow flower

Trunk: Crooked; bark black.

Leaves: Long (4-14 inches), narrow, gray-green, and slightly curved; drooping.

Flowers: Large, deep-throated tubular flower. Blooms in the spring and early summer. The floral tube is large enough to accommodate large bumblebees.

Seeds: Seed pods are long, slender, to about 14 inches long; round in cross-section. Seeds are flat, rectangular, with long hairs off both ends that facilitate wind dispersal.

Habitat: Sandy wash communities.

Distribution: Southern California to SW Utah and West Texas, south into northern Mexico.

Elevation: To about 6,000 feet.

Comments:

Desert Willow during spring	Desert Willow during summer
Desert Willow during fall	Desert Willow during winter
Desert Willow with flowers growing in a wash	Lots of loosely arranged, long and narrow leaves
Leaves sprouting in the spring	Young leaves
Long, narrow leaves	Long, narrow mature leaves
Mature leaf: upper surface	Mature leaf: lower surface
Upper and lower surfaces of a half-grown leaf	Upper and lower surfaces of a half-grown leaf
Two Desert Willow leaves with a 6-inch ruler	Two Desert Willow leaves with a 6-inch ruler
Desert Willow leaf dorsal surface	Desert Willow leaf ventral surface
Desert Willow with flower buds	Desert Willow flower buds
Desert Willow flower buds	Desert Willow flower buds
Desert Willow flower buds	Desert Willow flower buds

Desert Willow flowers and buds	Desert Willow flower and buds
Desert Willow flower and buds	Desert Willow flower

Desert Willow flower, front view	Desert Willow flower, top-down view
Desert Willow flowers with hairs and yellow stamens	Desert Willow flowers with prominent bee guides
Cultivated Desert Willow flowers (note color difference)	Cultivated Desert Willow flowers (note color difference)
Desert Willow seed pods	Desert Willow seed pods
Desert Willow seed pods	Desert Willow seed pods
Desert Willow seed pods are firmly attached to the stems	Desert Willow seed pod tips
Dried Desert Willow seed pods during winter	Dried Desert Willow seed pods during winter
Desert Willow seeds	Desert Willow seeds
Desert Willow seeds with hairy fringe	Desert Willow flowers with beetle pollinators
Desert Willow flowers with beetle pollinators	Desert Willow flowers with beetle pollinators

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
; Last updated 220814

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