Parkinsonia aculeata

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Photographs by: Dr. Maulik Gadani

  • Botanical Name : Parkinsonia aculeata L.
  • Synonyms : Parkinsonia thornberi M. E. Jones
  • Common Name : Ram Baval, Jerusalem Thorn, Mexican Palo Verde
  • Plant Family : Caesalpiniaceae
  • Plant Form : Tree
  • Occurrence (Special Areas) : Van Chetana Kendra

About Parkinsonia aculeata Plant :

  • Habit : A small tree or a large shrub with smooth bark.
  • Leaves : Bipinnate, pinnae 1-2 pairs, leaflets minute, ovate or oblanceolate, glabrous.
  • Flowers : Flowers 1.2-2 cm across, in 6-8 cm long, lax, terminal racemes.
  • Fruit : Pods linear, reticulate, glabrous. Seeds 2-7, ellipsoidal-oblong, smooth, dark-brown.
  • Flowering and Fruiting Time : January - May
  • Significance :
    • Planted as a hedge at many places.
    • Occasionally grown in the gardens.