Piojito
Coulteria pumila
Family: Fabaceae
Woody shrub to 8 or 10’ tall in time, Piojito has an open, airy form. Its leaves have a coppery-blue color and are winter deciduous. Flowers occur in the hot weather. They are small and butter-yellow in color. Very flat, round legume pods follow the flowers.
Full to part sun, moderate to low water when established, hardy to 18°F with minimal tip damage.
Yellow flowers in summer that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and other pollinators.
Photo by Sue Carnahan, SEINET
Coulteria pumila on iNaturalist
There are 11 species of Coulteria native the tropical Americas, from northern Mexico through Central America to Colombia and Venzezuela, including Cuba and Jamaica. The genus, Coulteria, is named for the Irish botanist Thomas Coulter (1793-1846) who collected in central Mexico (1825-1834) and was curator of the herbarium at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. The species name, pumila, means dwarf or low growing, a name given to this plant as compared to another close relative, palo piojo (Erythrostemon palmeri)—they both used to be in the genus Caesalpinia.
Native to the valleys and coastal areas in western Sonora, Mexico.
Flowers occur in hot weather. Photo by Marina Acuña, iNaturalist
The pods are very cool-looking. Photo by Usvaldo GC, iNaturalist