VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Chilopsis linearis | Desert Willow 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Desert willow is occasionally used for fence posts and fuel [14,46].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Livestock:  Livestock generally do not browse desert willow.  It is
consumed only when other forage is scarce [18,46].

Wildlife:  Various species of birds eat desert willow seeds [12,46].
Hummingbirds are attracted to the showy flowers and feed on the nectar
[3,12].  Mule deer eat small quantities of the leaves and fruit [34].


PALATABILITY : 
Desert willow is considered to be unpalatable to livestock and low in
palatability to wildlife [5].  The presence of cyanogenic glycosides may
account for its low palatability [50].  Following fire, however, tender
sprouts may be highly palatable.  Two months after a July wildfire in
southern California, 55 percent of available desert willow sprouts were
browsed by mule deer, bighorn sheep, and cottontail rabbits, but this
use declined to about 1 percent within 1 year [41].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The sucrose in desert willow nectar is a good energy source for bees and
hummingbirds [3].


COVER VALUE : 
Desert willow provides nesting sites for desert songbirds and cover for
other wildlife species [20].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Desert willow is used in soil stabilization plantings.  It is often used
along highways and in well-drained barrow ditches [36].  Numerous
cultivars are available, including 'Barranco', released by the Soil
Conservation Service [40], and 'White Storm', 'Dark Storm', 'Marfa
Lace', 'Alpine', and 'Tejas', released in 1988 from the Texas A&M
Research and Extension Center [36,39].  It is usually transplanted from
nursery stock.  Removing competing vegetion around transplants and
irrigating during the first season after transplanting is recommended
[48].  Methods for growing seedlings in a nursery have been discussed
[15,48].  Plants may be successfully propogated by both softwood and
hardwood cuttings [7,48].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Desert willow is cultivated as an ornamental because of its attractive
flowers [38].  It has been used for roadside beautification, border
rows, screenings, and mass plantings [48].  In the 1930's the Civilian
Conservation Corps planted desert willow in shelterbelts [35].  Indians
used the wood to make bows and baskets [35,46].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Use of desert willow by livestock generally indicates overbrowsing or
overstocking of the range [45,48].  

Related categories for Species: Chilopsis linearis | Desert Willow