Eysenhardtia texana
Eysenhardtia texana
Botanical Name
Common Name(s)
- Texas kidneywood
- palo dulce (Spanish)
Legume Clades
Native Geographic Range
- Southwestern North America
IUCN Status
LC (Least concern)
See IUCN Red List Assessment Growth Form
small tree
shrub
Cultivation Status in AZ
Occasionally cultivated
Description
Drought- and cold-deciduous shrubs or small trees to 16 ft (5 m) high. The bark is pale gray becoming rough and slightly fissured. Leaves are once-pinnate with 7--47 leaflets. Numerous tiny, aromatic, white flowers are produced in inflorescences at the ends of the stems during summer and autumn.
Habitat
Native to central and southern Texas, and widespread in northeastern Mexico where it is found in a variety of habitats and vegetation types.
Uses
This species is browsed by livestock and wildlife. The flowers are good bee forage for honey production. Plants have been used for erosion control.
Horticulture
Texas kidneywood is planted as a flowering shrub and may be trained into a small tree. The flowers are sweetly fragrant and provide nectar for butterflies and bees. Growth is slow to moderate with irrigation. The plants are hardy to at least 0 F (-18° C). Litter is minimal. Texas kidneywood resembles a smaller, more delicate version of kidneywood (Eysenhardtia orthocarpa). The flowers of the two species have different aromas.