Sharp, curved spines occur at the base of each leaf. The gray bark is smooth on young trees but becomes fissured as it matures. The habit of the ironwood is multi-trunked with a broad canopy that dips down to touch the ground. The tree’s common name is in reference to its iron gray bark as well as to the dense, heavy heartwood it produces. Dead trees may stand for as long as 1,000 years. It is the largest and longest living of the Sonoran Desert plants and can grow as high as 45 feet (14 m.) and live as long as 1,500 years. It is found in the dry regions of the desert below 2,500 feet (762 m.), where temperatures very rarely dip below freezing.ĭesert ironwood is also referred to as Tesota, Palo de Hierro, Palo de Fierro, or Palo Fierro. The desert ironwood ( Olenya tesota) is native to the Sonoran Desert from southern Arizona through the counties of Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Maricopa, Yuma, and Pinal and into southeastern California and the Baja peninsula. The following article discusses how to grow desert ironwood and its care. Where does desert ironwood grow? As the name suggests, the tree is native to the Sonoran Desert, but it can be grown in USDA zones 9 to 11. That is, the ecosystem would differ remarkably if the keystone species ceased to exist. A keystone species helps define an entire ecosystem. The desert ironwood tree is referred to as a keystone species.
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