Pithecellobium flexicaule

Texas Ebony

Tree

This small, slow to moderate growing tree reaches 20 feet high and 15 feet wide. The standard trunk has gray bark and is low branching and upright, zig-zagging as it grows. It wants to be a shrub. It is evergreen to partly deciduous when subjected to frost.

Temperature

Revels in heat. Hardy to cold, but becomes deciduous in the coldest winters.

Water requirements

Occasional deep soaking of the root zone. Accepts and will grow faster with moderate to ample. Once established, it can withstand periods of drought but will not grow as well.

Sun

Part, full or reflected sun.

Soil

Tolerant. Grows best in deep soil.

Maintenance

Periodic.

Disadvantages

Has straight thorns, slow to develop.

Bloom

Fragrant light yellow to creamy catlinlike flowers in dense clusters appear in spring, sometimes extending into summer.

Fruit or Seeds

Brown woody pods four to six inches long follow bloom and remain for a long period

Uses

Specimen for patio or garden. Silhouette against structures. Screen or barrier when planted in row or grouping.

Origin

Native of Texas and New Mexico. A member of the Fabaceae (Leguminosae) family.

Themes

Native, Desert Grassland, Desert, Desert Transitional.

Return to Index