Smoke Tree

Like the creosote, the Smoketree is an integral part of the Coachella Valley landscape. You’ll most often find it in sandy desert washes or along roadsides where the sand is disturbed. Though native to the Mojave as well, its range is limited to specific locations. This is a plant that demands excellent drainage and will not tolerate heavy or compacted soils.

Smoketree is a spiny, almost leafless perennial legume tree that grows to about 20 feet tall, with an irregular form and open canopy. It often challenges our traditional image of a “tree.” Its foliage is aromatic and its stems are densely covered with fine, whitish hairs, giving it a silvery-gray appearance—hence the name “Smoketree.” In early summer, the tree bursts into bloom with vivid violet to indigo-blue flowers, creating a dramatic contrast to its usual muted color.

Flowers appear in lateral clusters in June and are followed by small-seeded pea pods. The tree's deep taproot makes it extremely drought tolerant once established, surviving on rainfall alone, but also difficult to transplant. It is well-adapted to the hot, dry conditions of southern California, Arizona, Baja California, and is also common in Joshua Tree National Park.

Smoketree flowers are highly attractive to a wide variety of pollinators including native bees, honeybees, butterflies, moths, flies, and even hummingbirds. Its seeds may be eaten by small mammals and granivorous birds, making it a valuable habitat and food source for desert wildlife.