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Eysenhardtia texana

Botanical Name

Eysenhardtia texana Scheele

Common Name(s)

  • Texas kidneywood
  • palo dulce (Spanish)

Synonyms

Legume Clades

Papilionoideae , 50-kb Inversion Clade , Dalbergioids s.l. , Amorpheae , Amorpha Clade , Eysenhardtia

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.