Trees With Tiny Leaves & Long Seed Pods

For Flowers

• Trees with showy flowers add color and attract pollinators to your yard. In spring, the branches of the Bailey acacia (Acacia baileyana) are covered with a profusion of puffy yellow flowers. This 30-foot-tall evergreen has an airy canopy of blue-green leaves and grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 to 10. Fill a large site in your landscape with a silk oak tree (Grevillea robusta). A native of Australia, this sun-loving evergreen has small, narrow leaflets and blooms with showy orange and yellow blossoms in spring. The silk oak grows in USDA zones 8 to 10 and reaches heights to 65 feet in cultivation, though wild trees can top 150 feet.

For Fragrance

• Add a pleasant olfactory experience to your landscape with a fragrant tree. The mescal bean (Sophora secundiflora) blooms with aromatic purple, blue and white flowers in late winter through spring. This 25-foot-tall evergreen has small, lustrous foliage and bears grey pods that contain toxic seeds. The mescal bean is hardy in USDA zones 7 to 10. The Siberan pea (Caragana arborescens) also blooms with fragrant flowers in spring. Reaching heights to 20 feet, this deciduous tree grows in USDA zones 2 to 8 and thrives in a range of site conditions. Siberian peas bear long, brown seed pods and have small, light green leaves that turn yellow in autumn.

For Wildlife

• Some small-leaves trees attract wildlife with their seed pods, such as the golden shower (Cassia fistula). This Asian native grows to 35 feet tall and bears purple seed pods in fall. Golden showers are hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11 and thrive in sunny sites with well-draining soil. For hummingbirds, plant a yellow bird of paradise (Caesalpinia gilliesi). A small tree that grows to 10 feet tall, the yellow bird of paradise blooms with yellow-red blossoms that draw birds and bears long, brown pods in fall. It's hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11 and tolerates a range of site conditions, including drought and alkaline pH levels.

For Edible Seeds

• Some small-foliage trees bear pods that humans can eat. These include the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), a 35-foot-tall evergreen native to the Mediterranean. Its low canopy is dense with dark, glossy foliage and it produces long, brown pods that are used to make carob, a chocolate substitute. Carob trees are hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11. The desert ironwood (Olneya tesota) also bears edible pods; this evergreen tree's seeds can be roasted and have a peanut-like flavor. Hardy in USDA zones 9 to 10, this North American native has tiny, gray-green foliage and thrives in sunny, dry sites.