The medicine of Desert Willow

Written By Christiana Hopkinson

Desert Willow (Catalpa or Chilopsis linearis) Mimbre, Flor de Mimbres.

This beautiful tree, native to the southwest region of the US and Northern Mexico, called to me this past winter, long before they sent out leaves, flowers and seed pods.

Desert Willow has been growing around me my whole life, but I only started to notice them when they started to pop up around our current home. This winter I was outside, when a gentle breeze blew past and along with it, a sent that was so strong, fresh and uplifting. I thought someone was burning incense! This smell stirred a remembrance, a familiarity, something I knew but just couldn’t place at the moment.

Then, early this spring, when Desert Willow started to wake from their winter slumber; leaves started to emerge, warmer weather was creeping in. I was near a tree early in the morning when the sun was just starting to kiss the leaves, and as I brushed past, there it was! The captivating sent from the winter, this time stronger, almost enveloping me. A tree relative that has been around me my whole life and on these desert lands forever. They decided that now was when we were to connect deeper. I was in awe. They called, reached out and I picked up.

Desert Willow or Mimbre is a tree that lives all around so many of us in NM. A tree I think we seldom pay attention to. They are found throughout NM, AZ, parts of CA and in Northern Mexico - a beautiful tree that is commonly found within the desert ecosystems, along and around rivers.

They are known to grow where there is water deep, deep down - if you’ve ever pulled a sapling up you can see just how deep their tap root is at a young stage. They are a water indicator in the desert, scientifically known as a phreatophyte (Mesquite, often found in our desert landscapes, is another native phreatophyte.)

One of my favorite parts of this tree is, in the summer, when it’s really hot and you take a break underneath their shade, you can feel tiny drops of water on you. Providing much needed respite from the intense heat we all experience. They are also so important for native pollinators (as are all native flowers, plants and trees), you can find hummingbirds, bees and even hummingbird moths at night among Desert Willow.

Two parts of this tree offer medicine; their flowers and inner bark. I’m sure there are others.

  • The flowers, collected just after falling off, can be made into a tea/infusion. You can make this with a cold infusion or with hot water. The cold infusion can be really refreshing and uplifting in the heat of the day. You can also collect the just fallen flowers and dry them for later use. I’ve found that longer hot steeping times don’t produce as uplifting of a taste. So, I’d suggest around 5 min for a hot infusion and with a cold infusion, I really like to do them overnight.

  • The inner bark, you can collect when doing your trimming during the spring. It is said to be antifungal and antiseptic for the skin. Traditionally used for skin infections and ringworm as a wash or compress.

Not only can you find Desert Willow all over the beautiful land here in NM, but they are so very easy to grow. Find you a seed pod in the late summer or even in the winter and throw some seeds down. They grow quickly, and can spread all over so, if that’s not something you want, be on the lookout for new ones sprouting out. Their seeds are distributed by the wind, so I’ll find them sprouting up all over the place.

Please plant them, grow them, connect with them and other native NM plants! They know this land, and as climate change continues, we need to keep the plants and trees that are already adapted and know how to continue to adapt to this climate, growing and present! They are VITALLY IMPORTANT! All our desert plants should have a place within your land. Native desert plants teach us how to adapt, they show us, we just have to be willing to listen.

So, in conclusion, what plants, trees or shrubs are calling you to connect? Are you ready and willing to listen?

Con amor - Christiana

Book Sources:

  • Los Remedios: Traditional herbal remedies of the southwest by Michael Moore

  • Infusions of Healing: A treasury of Mexican-American herbal remedies by Joie Davidow

  • Medicinal Plants of the desert and canyon west by Michael Moore

  • Southwest Foraging: 117 wild & flavorful edibles from barrel cactus to wild oregano by John Slattery

Christiana Hopkinson