Desert Willow

The Desert Willow is not really a willow. It’s a member of the Bigonia family. In fact, it’s the only type of Bigonia that grows in California. This plant can be found in Northern Mexico, southwest Texas and all the way into southern California. It is a native of the Sonoran, Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts.

The plant can become quite large. This shrub can have 6 inch diameter trunks. They grow as high as 25 feet long. The leaves are even large, three to six inches long with sharp ends. The flowers, which look like orchids, grow to up to two inches long. There’s even fruit on this plant in the form of cigar like pods that are 8 inches long. They contain seeds with little wings that help them spread when they fall from the plant or are blown by the wind.

The Desert Willow is a phreatophyte, a type of plant that grows long roots to absorb water either from the ground supply or water table. Since these plants grow near streams, rivers and pools, flowering is a sign that water can be found. It will either be standing water, or at least a full water table. This plant will not flower without water. A desert wanderer can look for these flowers to find water. Because of its need for some water, the Desert Willow won’t be found in truly dry deserts like the Atacama Desert where as little as one millimeter of water falls each year.

The Desert Willow is also called Mimbre. The Mimbre, a Spanish name meaning willow-like, is sometimes used to make a tea. That’s done with the seed pods and dried flowers. The wood is strong enough to be used in fence posts. The plant is therefore an integral part of human life in deserts where the plant grows.

A willow that’s not a willow, a desert plant that only grows when there is abundant water. The Desert Willow isn’t the standard plant found in this type of environment.

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