Folkways
Desert Willow
by Maya Zniewski
W
onderful examples of the
desert willow tree can be
seen in Big Bend National
Park. Easy to spot after a good rain,
it produces trumpet-shaped pink to
purple flowers that bloom between
May and September. Drought tol-
erant, they survive well without
heavy rains, only needing a once-a-
month soaking to produce these
fabulous flowers. In your yard they
can be easily trained to take the
shape from which the name comes,
willow. The desert willow is native
to west Texas, southern California,
Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New
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Mexico, and northern Mexico. If
given free rein and enough water
they can grow up to 25 or 30 feet
high and become tree-like; other-
wise, most remain bush-like, grow-
ing eight to 10 feet tall.
The desert willow is traditionally
used for basket making, roofing
material, medicine making and of
course, grown for the incredible
violet-like scent produced by its
flowers. When in full bloom the
scent is sweet and lush. The dried
flowers make a fine tea, good for the
lungs, or a poultice for coughing
and chest and lung illnesses. The
Cenizo
Fourth Quarter 2013
bark and leaves are used dried as a
powder for skin infections, cuts and
scrapes, and ringworm. Internally
desert willow fights an overgrowth
of candidiasis for those of us tempt-
ed by highly processed foods. If you
have more patience a tincture of the
leaves can be made for systemic
(system-wide) fungal infections.
There is pharmacological inter-
est in the desert willow for the treat-
ment of cardiovascular and oph-
thalmological diseases. The bark of
other Bignoniaceae family flora is
being investigated for anti-tumor
and anti-viral compounds by the
National Cancer Institute, and
there is interest in the possibility
that it interferes with the replication
of the HIV virus. Put desert willow
in your garden to provide years of
beauty.