Growth Rate of Palo Verde Trees

Growth Rate

• The Arbor Day Foundation defines tree growth rate as a vertical increase. A slow rate of growth indicates that a tree grows less than 12 inches per year. Medium or moderate growth indicates that a tree grows from 13 to 24 inches annually, while fast or rapid growth indicates a rate of more than 25 inches each year.

Blue Palo Verde

• Blue palo verde (P. florida), the Arizona state tree, is prized for its blue-green bark, twigs and leaves, as well as its showy spring blossoms. This Sonoran Desert native grows at a moderate rate that increases with supplemental irrigation. This upright tree reaches heights of 30 feet with a 40-foot-wide canopy, making it a popular shade tree. The blue palo verde produces edible seed pods that may attract wildlife to your yard.

Foothills Palo Verde

• Also known as the littleleaf palo verde, the foothills palo verde (P. microphylla) grows from 10 to 20 feet tall with a similar spread. This thorny, drought-tolerant tree grows at a slow rate. The foothills palo verde blooms with pale yellow flowers and has yellow-green bark, foliage and branches. In ideal conditions, the foothills palo verde can live for several hundred years.

Sonoran Palo Verde

• The Sonoran palo verde, also known as the palo brea (P. praecox subsp. praecox), reaches heights to 35 feet and has smooth, lime-green bark and blue-green foliage. This palo verde has orange-spotted flower petals. The Sonoran palo verde grows at a moderate to rapid rate; it grows faster when it receives more irrigation.

Desert Museum Palo Verde

• A hybrid, the Desert Museum palo verde (P. x "Desert Museum") also grows at a rapid rate, especially when irrigated. Unlike other palo verde varieties, the Desert Museum doesn't have thorns. This fast-growing hybrid has light-green bark and foliage. It reaches heights and widths of 25 feet and produces less litter than other palo verde trees.