December Blooms at the Arboretum
December brings cooler temperatures to the gardens. The colorful leaves have left the trees, and our attention shifts to the brightly colored blooms of the fairy duster, sweet acacia, or boojums trees.
Calliandra eriophylla | Desert Legume Garden, Curandero Trail
Calliandra eriophylla, commonly known as fairy duster, is a low-spreading shrub native to deserts and arid grasslands in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico.
The flowers have dense clusters of pale to deep pink stamens and are about 5 cm (2 in) wide. Like many desert trees and shrubs, it is a member of the Fabaceae. It is in the Mimosoideae subfamily where the anthers’ long, colorful filaments are the most attractive part of the flower.
Fouquieria columnaris | Boojum Cove, Wallace Baja Desert Trail
Midwinter is the perfect time to view our Fouquieria columnaris or Boojum Trees. Although they are very slow growers at less than 2 inches per year, these relatives to the Arizona native Ocotillo can reach staggering heights. Native to Mexico’s Baja California, Boojum Trees grow throughout the winter, entering dormancy during warmer months. Boojum Cove(19 on the map) boasts several large Boojums, with our largest specimen topping out at over 32 feet tall!
Vachellia farnesiana | Chihuahuan Desert Exhibit, Curandero Trail, Cactus Garden
Commonly known as Sweet acacia, this 15-20 ft. multi-trunked tree or shrub has branchlets that are spiny and bear finely divided leaves, each of the many leaflets less than 1/4 inch long. The foliage is light-green and ferny with clusters of small, fragrant, orange-yellow flowers 1/2 inch in diameter. This tree also serves as a bird nesting site as the spines deter would-be predators and the birds enjoy its fruit, reddish brown to black woody pods about 1 1/2 to 3 inches long.
Cordia parvifolia | Chihuahuan Desert Exhibit, Wallace Chihuahuan Loop
Little-leaf Cordia is an evergreen shrub with twisting branches, growing 8-12 ft. high and as wide. The small olive-green leaves long are heavily veined, and clusters of showy white flowers grow at the ends of branches in spring. This species comes from desert areas of Baja California, where it grows on rocky slopes, plains, sandy arroyos, and silty bottomlands. It is well adapted to sun, heat, aridity, and low amounts of summer moisture.
December is a wonderful time to visit the gardens. You and your family, or holiday visitors, will love exploring the trails, admiring the blooms, and experiencing the beauty of the desert. Plan your visit today!