Retama

Paloverde is a spiny shrub or small tree, as high as 30 feet but normally half that, with long, graceful, slightly drooping branches bearing many long, delicate leaves and sprays of yellow flowers. The 5 yellow petals of the flower, 1/3–2/3 inch long, are almost equal, but 1 has a honey gland at its base and soon becomes red; it remains on the stalk longer than the others. The Paloverde has a profusion of blossoms through the warm months, especially after rains. The seedpods are 3–5 inches long, narrow, and constricted between the seeds. The leaves are unusual. The leaf stem produces 2 stalks, almost parallel and 15–18 inches long, with 10–25 pairs of leaflets on each. The leaflets usually fall off during the summer, and the stems then carry on the function of leaves.