Taxon Report

Parkinsonia microphylla Torr

little-leaved palo verde

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Parkinsonia microphylla, commonly known as little-leaved palo verde, is a perennial deciduous shrub in the Fabaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Mojavean desert scrub (gravelly, and rocky), growing at elevations from 45 to 1070 meters. Parkinsonia microphylla is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Parkinsonia microphylla Torr
Common Name:	little-leaved palo verde
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB2Z030
USDA Plants Symbol:	PAMI5
Synonyms/Other Names:	Cercidium microphyllum (Torr.) Rose & I.M. Johnst.

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial deciduous shrub
Blooming Period: Apr-May	Apr-May
Elevation:	45-1070 (150-3510)
General Habitats:	Mojavean desert scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Riverside (RIV), San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Castle Rock (3411454), Chemehuevi Peak (3411455), Cross Roads (3411422), Gene Wash (3411432), Hayfield Spring (3311565), Hemet (3311668), Lake Havasu City South (3411443), Parker (3411423), Whipple Wash (3411433)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Known in CA only from along the Colorado River. Threatened by development. Hybrids with C. floridum ssp. floridum reported. See Report of the Pacific Railroad Expedition 4:82 (1857) for original description, Contributions from the Gray Herbarium 70:66 (1924) for revised nomenclature, and Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences IV 40:24-27 (1974) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 29 October 2025].