Plant Name
Scientific Name: Chilopsis linearis
Common Name: Desert Willow
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial, Deciduous
Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland, Riparian. It grows along washes.
Flower Color: Light to medium pink, Lavender
Flowering Season: Spring, Summer. Depending on the rains, this plant blooms anytime from April to September.
Height: To 25 feet (7.6 m) tall
Description: The showy flowers are broadly tubular, up to 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) wide, and have 2 ruffled upper lobes and 3 yellow and magenta-streaked lower lobes. The flowers are followed by long, slender, brown seed capsules. The leaves are green, untoothed, narrowly linear, and somewhat sickle-shaped. The bark is brown and rough-textured.
Despite its common name and willow-like appearance, Desert Willow is not a true willow like plants in the genus Salix.
Special Characteristics
Butterfly Plant – The flowers attract large butterflies.
Fragrant – The flowers are lightly fragrant.
Hummingbird Flower – The flowers attract hummingbirds.
Legal Status – Protected Native Plant. The subspecies Chilopsis linearis ssp. arcuata and C. linearis ssp. linearis are Salvage Assessed.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Scrophulariales
Family: Bignoniaceae – Trumpet-creeper family
Genus: Chilopsis D. Don – desert willow
Species: Chilopsis linearis (Cav.) Sweet – desert willow
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