VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Cercidium microphyllum | Yellow Paloverde 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
The wood of yellow paloverde is hard and heavy [37].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Yellow paloverde has limited value as browse for livestock [3,28,87].
Bighorn sheep, mule deer, and feral burros browse yellow paloverde
[25,34,63,75,76].  It is important browse for jackrabbits, heteromyid
rodents, and other small mammals [16,25,67,96].  Collared peccary
consume yellow paloverde fruits from July to September [15].  Yellow
paloverde was used significantly (P<0.01) more than other plant species
for foraging by birds [58].

Small mammals such as desert shrews and mice use the habitats where
yellow paloverde occurs [86].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Several studies have sampled yellow paloverde bimonthly for 1 year.  Its
leaves, flowers, and new growth had from 30 to 60 percent dry matter and
from 6 to 16 percent crude protein [34,63,76].  Yellow paloverde has
large seeds that weigh an average of 0.005 ounce (0.147 g) and contain
733.3 calories per seed [68].


COVER VALUE : 
Yellow paloverde that are taller than 6.6 feet (2 m) are used for
nesting [89].  Verdin and black-tailed gnatcatchers nest in yellow
paloverde [58].  Gambel's quail use them for roosts [23].  Yellow
paloverde snags are important wildlife habitat because snags occur
infrequently in the Sonoran Desert.  In Arizona, nine bird species used
one yellow paloverde snag daily [32].

White-throated woodrats use yellow paloverde for shelter or nests [57].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Yellow paloverde was used in the revegetation of an open pit copper mine
in Arizona.  Yellow paloverde survived significantly (P<0.05) better on
the east slope (27 plants/244 sq m) than on the north slope (1 plant/244
sq m) [56].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Yellow paloverde seeds were ground and used for food by Pima and other
Native Americans [37,66].

Yellow paloverde is planted as an ornamental [37].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Dimensional analyses that relate fresh biomass to stem diamter and dry
matter content are available for yellow paloverde [18].

Yellow paloverde was evaluated as a potential energy-producing crop.
During 2 years of sampling, the stems, leaves, and fruits of yellow
paloverde yielded moderate amounts of oil and crude protein.  It was not
considered a promising species for exploitation [11].

Yellow paloverde spread from residential plantings into surrounding
wildlands in Death Valley National Monument, California.  Yellow
paloverde does not occur there naturally, and mechanical and herbicide
control methods have been proposed to eradicate it [40].

Yellow paloverde and other desert scrub species invade desert grasslands
following disturbances such as grazing [40,98].

Yellow paloverde up to 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall may be seriously injured
or killed by jackrabbit browsing.  Larger trees are browsed to the
extent that a jackrabbit can reach, about 3 feet (1 m) [96].

Yellow paloverde is an alternate host for seed-predating bruchid
beetles (Mimosestes spp.).  Yellow paloverde responses are probably
similar to those of the beetles' primary host, mesquite (Prosopis spp.),
with reduced yields of viable seeds [33].

Yellow paloverde and community associates typical of the Arizona upland
subdivision of the Sonoran Desert occur in very few places in
southeastern California.  This is a community type with one of the
highest priorities in California for rare plant inventories [27].

Yellow paloverde provides canopy cover that reduces maximum soil surface
temperatures.  This is important for the establishment of other desert
species [20,78].  Yellow paloverde is the primary nurse plant for
saguaro [14,30,43,55,84].

Related categories for Species: Cercidium microphyllum | Yellow Paloverde