[2] Parkinsonia /ˌpɑːrkɪnˈsoʊniə/, also Cercidium /sərˈsɪdiəm/,[3] is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae.

[4] They are large shrubs or small trees growing to 5–12 m (16–39 ft) tall, dry season deciduous, with sparse, open, thorny crowns and green bark.

The leaves are pinnate, usually bipinnate, with numerous small leaflets; they are only borne for a relatively short time after rains, with much of the photosynthesis carried out by the green twigs and branches.

Most American species are known by the common name of palo verde or paloverde, derived from the Spanish words meaning "green tree".

C. pallida obtains nectar and pollen from this plant to fill a brood pot so that their larvae will have food when they hatch.