About Canotia holacantha Torr.
Canotia holacantha Torr. typically grows 10–15 feet (3.0–4.6 m) tall. One recorded specimen, found in the eastern Mojave Desert near Wikieup, Arizona, grows to over 30 feet (9.1 m) tall. This species is usually scrubby, with gray-green branches that end in sharp thorns. Like the unrelated but closely resembling Foothill palo verde (Parkinsonia microphylla), Canotia holacantha carries out photosynthesis through its twigs instead of its short-lived leaves. Its leaves are small, insignificant scales that are shed quickly and rarely seen. Its persistent, clustered reddish-brown seed capsules, which hang in groups of five, are much easier to observe. This plant is native to higher elevation deserts: it grows in the Southwestern United States (Arizona and southeastern California), and in isolated locations in Northwestern Mexico (Baja California and Sonora). It grows in desert scrub environments, primarily on slopes or in washes. It occurs across the higher Sonoran Desert in central Arizona, extending to the Mojave Desert of California and northwest Arizona, and into the lower reaches of the Grand Canyon.
