Desert willow

TThis interesting tree, so named because of its willow-like leaves, is closely related to the Catalpa. Often reaching a height of 25 feet and a diameter of 10 to 12 inches, it is found usually in dry, gravelly, porous soils in the valley of the lower Rio Grande and through West Texas.

The LEAVES are less than 1/2 inch wide and from 6 to 12 inches long, light green, and pointed. Their arrangement on the twig is either opposite or alternate.

The white FLOWERS shade into pale purple and are blotched in the “throats” with pale purple. They occur in an elongated cluster, or raceme, opening successively toward the end of the flower stalk.

The FRUIT “pods” are capsules 7 to 12 inches long, hard or woody, very slender, and contain numerous small seeds.

The soft, weak, close-grained WOOD is brown streaked with yellow. The sapwood turns to heartwood in 2 or 3 years.