Chilopsis

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Chilopsis is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing a single species Chilopsis linearis .

It is a shrub or a native tree to the southwest of the United States and Mexico. Common names are desert willow or desert-willow because the leaves are similar to willow, but these are members of the catalpa family, Bignoniaceae. This is often seen in washing and along river banks at altitudes below 1800m in the range.

Video Chilopsis

Description

Starting from 1.5 to 8 meters tall, can be a bush or a small tree. Straight, curved, and fallen leaves have a length of 10 to 26 cm and only a few millimeters in width.

The generic name comes from the Greek word ?????? , ( cheilos ), meaning "lips," and ???? ( opsis ), meaning "to resemble," referring to interest. They occur in the terminal or racetrack, blooming from May to September. About two to four flowers at one time open in every inflorescence. The calyx is about 8-14 mm, slightly increased, and various shades of purple, while the crown is 2-5 cm long, and with colors ranging from lavender to pink. The throat and lower lip have a yellow bulge pattern and a purple line, and the edges are wrinkled. It is pollinated mainly by large bees in the Apidae family, such as wood bees, bees, Anthophora , and Centris . The fruit is a linear pod of up to 35 cm, contains many winged seeds.

There are two subspecies:

Chilopsis linearis subsp. linearis . Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, Mexico.
Chilopsis linearis subsp. arcuata . Nevada, California, Baja California.

Maps Chilopsis

Cultivation and use

It is cultivated for its large and striking flowers, as well as hot and dry climate tolerance. Although natural growth is a very irregular shape, it can easily be trimmed into conventional tree shapes. A number of cultivars have been selected. Some, such as 'Rio Salado', have purple flowers or dark magenta.

Chilopsis can survive at temperatures as low as 10 degrees F (-12 Ã‚ Â° C).

Chilopsis is closely related to the genus Catalpa and hybrids can be made between two genera. The non-hernic hybrid between Chilopsis linearis and Catalpa bignonioides has been named Chitalpa tashkentensis. It comes from a botanical garden in Tashkent in Uzbekistan.

Plant parts have been used in traditional medicine. It has been used to treat yeast infections such as candidiasis and athlete's feet, as well as wounds and coughs.

The wood is used to make bows and bows.