Arizona Lacepod
Dermatophyllum arizonicum
Family: Fabaceae
Large shrub to small tree 20’ tall and wide. Extremely fragrant flowers appear in spring followed by legume pods. Not common in the trade.
Full to part sun, low water when establised, hardy to 10°F. Good drainage is a must for plants in this genus.
Flowers attract various nectar-seeking insects. Larval host for genista broom moth (Uresiphita reversalis).
This species is in the Fabaceae, the legume family. There are 6 species native to southwestern North America from western Texas to New Mexico and Arizona in the United States, and south through Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo León in northern Mexico..
Dermatophyllum seems to mean “skinlike-leaf” perhaps related to the smoothness of the foliage. The species name, arizonicus, refers to where it is mostly endemic, in Arizona. Formerly known as Sophora arizonica.
Photo by frankiecoburn on iNaturalist
Dermatophyllum arizonicum on SEINET
Native to slopes of desert mesas and foothills in desert mountains. 2000-5000 ft. Optimal habitat is apparently more moist sites with north or northeast exposures in northwestern and southeastern Arizona, with a few disjunct populations in southwestern Texas; and other, small isolated populations in Nuevo Leon and Coahuila, Mexico. Slopes of desert mesas and foothills in desert mountains. 610-1500 m elevation. Optimal habitat is apparently more moist sites with north or northeast exposures. Seedling survival past May or June is infrequent and is probably limited to moist microsites.