Olneya
Desert Ironwood ( Olneya tesota )
The desert ironwood ( Olneya tesota ) is the only species of the genus Olneya in the subfamily of Fabaceae ( Faboideae ). The range extends from Arizona and California to the Mexican states of Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sonora.
- 5.1 Notes and references
- 5.2 Literature
Description
The desert ironwood grows as a shrub or tree, reaching heights of growth to about 10 meters with trunk diameters up to about 60 cm. In young plants, the bark is gray and smooth; in older trees it breaks. This species is an evergreen plant that loses its leaves, however, when the temperature drops below about 2 ° C. In prolonged drought, the leaves are partially dropped to conserve water. The change-constant leaves are pinnate and have a bluish-green with fine hairs. The leaflet is about 6 cm tall with six to nine, rarely up to twenty leathery leaves that are each 0.7 to 2 cm long. At the base of each leaf grow two thorns of just over 1 cm in length.
The flowering period extends from May to June. The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic are fünfzählig double perianth ( perianth ). The corolla has the typical structure of the Fabaceae with five petals. The boat is purple and the other petals white to pale pink.
The hairy legume is 5-8 cm long and brown when ripe; it contains one to four seeds. The seeds are edible.
Only fresh seeds are easy to germinate; older Samengut must be stratified for germination.
Ecology
At the headquarters in the treetop of a desert ironwood tree forms its own habitat. It has 230 different plant species have been recorded, which germinate and thrive in the protection of the tree crown. The seeds are used in several animal species (birds, rodents) as food. Many insects live on the tree and attract birds and reptiles to.
In the Sonoran Desert Ironwood is one of the longest-living trees; it may be 1500 years old.
Distribution and location
The desert ironwood is native to the Sonoran Desert. Politically, the distribution area falls in the U.S. states of Arizona ( south and southwest ), California (southeast), and in the Mexican states of Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sonora. In Arizona, it occurs at altitudes from 0 to 600 m; often it is found in dry river beds. The Ironwood Forest National Monument in Arizona was named after her.
The desert ironwood is very sensitive to frost. Full-grown trees are already dying off at -9 ° C. The desert ironwood can cope well with very dry sites.
Use
The wood is very hard and heavy. It has a higher density than water, and therefore sinks in the water to the ground. Example, it is used to make knife handles, since the hardness and toughness brings ideal conditions.
Workability
Due to the high hardness of the wood processing eg hacksaw is quite difficult, but possible with tools for metalworking. As finishing wood oils may be used, but the timber does not especially in a lot.