Plant Name:  Desert Willow

Botanical Name:  Chilopsis linearis

Native Name:  Qaankish

Height/Physical Description:  15 to 30 feet in height and 10 to 20 feet in width.  Dark green, narrow willowy leaves.  From Spring to Fall, blooms fragrant, red and pink trumpet-shaped flowers.  Seed pods form after bloom. Attracts bees and hummingbirds.

Use:  Food, housing construction materials, tools.  The flowers and seeds are edible but was not a major food source for the Cahuillan people.  This tree was mainly sought after for its wood.  Considered ideal for constructing homes as the wood had good longevity and was pliable to form the various types of dwellings built by the Cahuillan people.  The flexibility of this wood also made it perfect for making bows.

Harvesting:  Flowers and seed  pods collected from Spring to Fall.

Preparation:  Flowers make a nice tea.  Fresh flowers or dried flowers can be steeped in water for several hours in the sun per our Southwest foraging sources.  There is not enough documentation to describe how the seeds and pods were prepared.