Our tree service is usually hired to remove trees from properties in the Tucson area. Once we remove a hazardous tree from a property, some people want to plant a new tree in its place. This article outlines the species of trees which will be most likely to thrive in Tucson. A lot of the trees we are hired to remove from properties are trees that are non-native trees to Tucson. When you plant species of trees that are not native to an area, they are more likely not to survive. That is because the trees that are native to Tucson are well adapted to the arid climate in Tucson. Read the list of tree species which are native to Tucson below. Call us if you are in the greater Tucson area and need tree trimming or tree removal services. Additionally, we will be happy to answer any question you having regarding tree species.

Tree Species Native to Tucson

Smoke Tree

The smoke tree gets its name from its foliage’s gray color. Most of the year the tree does looks like it is dying and has a red tinge to it. However, during the Spring, the Smoke Tree comes to life and blooms what seems to be an endless number of purple flowers. In addition to flowers, it also gets small hairy leaves that it loses before the summer. The Smoke Tree’s ability to thrive in sandy soils that almost no other trees will, make it a great choice for Tucson property owners.

Blue Palo Verde

The Blue Palo Verde is able to grow to 30 feet tall and fairly quickly too. The Blue Palo Verde is an ideal tree for maximizing shade on your property. It does have small thorns, but those disappear as the tree grows. During the Spring the Blue Palo Verde has bright yellow flowers. Those flowers attract pollinators that are important for maintaining our local ecosystem.

Little Leaf Ash

The Little Leaf Ash tree is a medium sized tree which makes it ideal for areas that have low clearance. Don’t let the name fool you, just because the name has the words little leaf does not mean the tree is not able to provide a lot of shade. As a matter of fact, the Little Leaf Ash provides a dense canopy and a lot of shade. Furthermore, unlike some of the other trees that are native to Tucson, it does not have thorns. This tree thrives the most in washes and soils which drain quickly. The Little Leaf Ash tree is a native tree species that is a favorite of property owners throughout Tucson.

Catclaw Acacia

The Cat Claw Acacia is popular with both Tucson residents and honey bees too. Bees love the Cat Claw Acacia because it has what are called catkins. Those are long cylindrical flowers with no petals that are great for pollen collectors. Additionally, those catkins attract birds that are native to the Tucson area. If you are a bird lover, the Catclaw Acacia is a great tree for your landscaping. Furthermore, the tree provides more than just food and pollen for wildlife, it is also known as a barrier tree. The multi-trunked wide base of the tree can create a barrier from neighbors properties or the street. If you’re looking for a tree that is: drought resistant, great for wildlife, a barrier from your surroundings, and medium sized, the Catclaw Acacia is the right tree for you.

Desert Hackberry

The Desert Hackberry, much like the Catclaw Acacia, is a great tree for people who love birds. That is because the birds love the Desert Hackberry’s small orange fruit which becomes ripe each fall. In addition to the Desert Hackberry being a good food source for birds, the tree has dense foliage with thorns. That makes it an ideal environment for birds to build a nest and protect themselves from potential predators. The Desert Hackberry is a small shrub-like tree that is perfect for placing underneath other larger trees to fill in a void in foliage coverage.

Foothills Palo Verde

The Foothills Palo Verde Tree is a slow growing tree that can be multiple trunked or a single trucked tree. The Foothills Palo Verde tree is a survivor. It can grow in low quality soil. However, it is important to not that there are instances when the leaves may fall off of the tree when it has been exposed to extremely hot or cold temperatures. This does not mean the tree is in danger, it is actually a survival mechanism and is not something that you should be overly concerned over. You can expect the Foothills Palo Verde to bloom a beautiful color of yellow flowers each Spring. The tree has small leaves and thorn-tipped tree branches. If you have an area on your property that is not ideal for growing plants or trees, the Foothills Palo Verde may be a great option to consider.

Desert Ironwood

The Desert Ironwood is one of the oldest plants to known to have exist in the Sonoran Desert. This resilient tree has been estimated to be able to live up to 800 years. The Desert Ironwood is an essential part of Tucson’s ecosystem because its thick canopy creates shade and shelter for smaller species of plants. This tree is so important to the desert ecosystem that it has been a protected species in Arizona since the 1970’s. This native species is a slow growing tree is not only great for smaller plant species, but it is also used as a refuge by birds and other wildlife. The abundance of thorns on the Desert Ironwood acts as a deterrent for predators of small birds and wildlife. During the late Spring, the Desert Ironwood will develop small multicolored pink flowers that will really brighten up your landscape. If you’re looking for a slow growing tree that can help create an ideal environment for other plants, the Desert Ironwood is a great native species of tree.

Desert Willow

This native tree is a favorite of Tucson residents and hummingbirds as well. The vivid pink flowers attract hummingbirds from Spring to Fall. There is a lot to love about the Desert Willow, but one of the things that makes it different than other similar species of trees is that it has a low pollen count. In addition to a low pollen count, it is an easy to care for and low maintenance. The Desert Willow is a multi trunked tree that can be trained to be a single trunk so all of the lower parts of the tree grow together. This tree does not have as dense of shade canopy as some other native species, but it still provides adequate shade.

Screwbean Mesquite

The Screwbean Mesquite is one of the most unique and easily identifiable species in the greater Tucson area. The Screwbean Mesquite has clusters of spiral shaped beans that change colors depending upon the time of the year. The beans are a light green color in Spring, transition to yellow in Summer, and then they turn brown before they drop off of the tree in the Fall. The beans have actually been eaten for hundreds of years by people in the Tucson area. Wildlife also love to eat the screwbeans. The Screwbean Mesquite is a small tree that does not grow very tall so it is an ideal plant species to plant underneath powerlines. If you’re looking for a small thorny tree capable of attracting wildlife, this is the tree for you.

Foothills Palo Verde

This tree has a bright yellow flowers that stay on the tree for a few weeks in late Spring. The thorn tripped branches and small leaves on the tree are a great habitat for birds native to the Tucson area. The tree can be single or multi-trunked. One of the most critically important qualities that a native tree must possess is the ability tolerate heat and grow in poor soil types. The Foothills Palo Verde has the ability to withstand extreme heat, cold, and poor soil quality too. Overall a Foothills Palo Verde is a great native species worth planting.

Netleaf Hackberry

The Netleaf Hackberry can grow between 20-30 feet tall. This tree has small white flowers that only last for a short period of time before the tree starts to fruit. The Netleaf Hackberry fruits are very small and only get as big as 1/4 of inch big. The reddish fruit is a prized by birds throughout the region. This tree trunk is larger than most of the other trees that are native to the Tucson area. The shade canopy of the tree are not as thick as other smaller trees, but they can still provide a significant amount of shade coverage due to their size.

Velvet Mesquite

When discussing native trees, we have to mention the Velvet Mesquite. This tree is a staple of the Tucson area ecosystem. This tree towers over most of the other species native to Tucson. The Velvet Mesquite can grow up to 40 feet tall. It not only grows to a tall vertical height, but the branches grow horizontally. The Velvet Mesquite provides more shade than almost any other tree in the region which makes them a favorite of Tucson area residents. The The Velvet Mesquite has fragrant yellow flowers 1-2 times each year. The leaves are often referred to as fern-like and have small hairs that resemble velvet, hence the name Velvet Mesquite.

Call Us

If you’re looking to find out more about the species of trees native to the Tucson area, give us a call. Tucson Tree Removal Service is a local tree service that has extensive experience working with native tree species. When you need tree related services in the Tucson area, we are the company to call. Our company offers tree removal, tree trimming, tree thinning and more. Call us today to schedule your tree removal or tree trimming services in the Tucson area.