By Rick LoBello, Board Member
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The fun part about writing about all the different plants that there are growing at the El Paso Zoo is how every time I do so I get to know many new forms of life that for years I simply walked by. I used to give most of my attention to trees and common succulent plants like cacti, yucca, ocotillo and other desert species. During 2021 one of the plants that got my attention is little-leaf cordia. It has white flowers resembling puffs of cotton or snow and thanks to the Garden Supervisor Ernesto Gaytan, I didn’t need to look for it in a field guide since he is more familiar with all the plants at the Zoo than anyone else.
Little-leaf cordia is drought tolerant and native to the southern portions of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts where it grows in arroyos and desert flats at elevations of up to 2,800 feet. It is very rare in the United States and is found mainly in Mexico. Nurseries have brought it to El Paso where here at 3,740 feet it grows just fine.
One of the nice things about this shrub that can grow up to eight feet is how it is cold tolerant and flowers from spring to fall. It is also drought tolerant and does well in full sun.
Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition 