PlantFiles: Desert Willow, Desert Catalpa, Flowering Willow, Orchid of the Desert
Chilopsis linearis

I have a bunch of seeds that I have dried, and want to get these growing. I live in Austin TX (not sure what zone this is)

These plants love the desert conditions of el paso. They do not need much water either, so the city water company reccomends that people here grow them. Only downside is that they can form a bush-like tree if you are not careful.

Here in the joshua tree high desert, these willows grow abundantly, I have seen them naturally occurring in desert washes. Also I have two in my front yard and now every year I get many volunteers that are easy to dig up and transplant when they are dormant. I love the sweeping nature of the branches. It gives an oriental feel to the landscape. Also this willow gives off a very pungent fragrance after a rainfall that is very pleasing to the senses. Drought tolerant, I am lining my side road with them as a privacy screen

We had two desert willows that were just barely tree height in our back yard when we moved in 14 years ago. The larger is now about 20' tall with a branching, almost round form. Its sister is as tall, but narrower.

This tree needs lots of pruning or it will branch out and take over the place. I wasn't into gardening when we moved in so the two have taken over our back yard. They provide welcome shade in our hot West Texas summers. Their leaves appear late in the spring, and they flower all summer and into fall. In late fall or early winter, they drop their long, narrow willow-like leaves and their long beany seed pods. Here in Midland, in my unimproved yard, they are self seeding if the seed finds the right conditions. If encouraged, they will grow well and once established will need no extra water even in our area where we get only about 14" of rainfall per year.

We just had ours given to us this past spring and haven't seen the blooms yet but it is already about four feet tall.I cant wait to see it next year with blooms on it.

My Chilopsis linearis has survived two winters near an east wall in Denver, and grown to ten feet in the process with very little water. The tips of branches seem to die during th e winter, and have heard that in Colorado Springs (higher elevation) it sometimes dies to the ground, but can be regrown as a bush and pruned back into a tree if desired - worth the risk! Beautiful in its long bloom; neighbors covet the seedlings. Easy to prune into a nice profile. The variety we have is pink-flowered and is a child of a plant bought from a nursery in Albuquerque.

Desert Willow grows wonderfully in the desert areas surrounding Las Vegas, Nevada - from Mesquite, Nevada down to Bakersfield, California.

Not much to look at in the winter but the true "Orchid of the Desert" all summer long. The 1 1/2" purple to white cone-shaped flowers moving easily in the summer breezes. This small tree or bush has been crossed with the Catalpa bignoides to produce another beautiful tree/bush: the X Chitalpa tashkentensis.

When you first plant this small tree, it grows very fast at first, then slows as it gets larger. The flowers are simply beautiful and catch your eye. Hummingbirds love the flowers on this tree too! Can be be grown to look like a large shrub, or pruned to look more tree-like. A very draught tolerant tree that requires little to no additional water in the summer once established.

A small, deciduous tree, height to 15 feet, blooms April to September. Native to Texas and the Southwest, will grow in full sun and partial shade.

The Desert Willow needs very well-drained soil. Although it grows best along streams and low places, it does not like wet feet. It grows well in rocky and gravel soils. It grows in very hot and dry areas.

Native Americans used the flowers, leaves and bark medicinally. They also used its wood for bows and baskets.