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Form/fruit

Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

Parry caesalpinia grows in the Trans-Pecos on desert scrub in rocky limestone hills, and south into Mexico. It is a small, densely hairy shrub with yellow flowers crowded into long racemes. The bipinnate leaves have 3-5 pinnae with 2-3 pairs of hairy leaflets, with orange glands underneath. It can be distinguished from C. jamesii, a perennial that also grows in the same range, by the latter's 5 to 10 pairs of leaflets, and its perennial habit. Caesalpinia parryi was once classified as a variety of C. wootonii, and has been known as Hoffmanseggia melanostricta var. parryi and Hoffmanseggia parryi. It is more slender and somewhat less woody than C. wootonii.

Plant Habit or Use: small shrub

Exposure: sun

Flower Color: yellow

Blooming Period: spring

Fruit Characteristics: flattened pod

Height: to 2 feet

Width: to 1 1/2 feet

Plant Character: deciduous

Heat Tolerance: very high

Water Requirements:

Soil Requirements: alkaline
adaptable

USDA Hardiness Zone: 8

Additional Comments: