Mexican buckeye

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; flowering is usually best with at least six hours of direct sun.

Water

Water regularly while establishing; drought-tolerant once rooted, but benefits from occasional deep watering during prolonged dry weather.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, loamy, clay or rocky soil; tolerates limestone and alkaline conditions. Avoid permanently wet ground.

Height

10-20 ft (3-6 m), occasionally taller

Spread

10-15 ft (3-4.6 m)

Flowers

Early to mid-spring; clusters of pink to rose-purple flowers appear before or as the leaves emerge.

Foliage

Alternate, pinnately compound leaves with usually five to seven toothed leaflets; green in summer, turning yellow in autumn.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.1 m)

3. After 2 years

   7 ft (2.3 m)

4. After 3 years

   8 ft (2.4 m)

5. After 5 years

   9 ft (2.6 m)

About 20 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Native to

the US

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during the first two growing seasons, allowing the upper soil to dry between waterings.
• Once established, give an occasional deep watering during extended drought rather than frequent light sprinkling.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch, keeping it clear of the trunks.
• Avoid routine fertiliser on ordinary garden soil; excessive feeding encourages soft growth.
• Collect fallen seeds where children, pets or grazing animals could reach them.

Pruning. Prune just after flowering to remove dead, damaged or crossing branches. Retain several stems for a natural shrub form, or gradually select a few main trunks while the plant is young; avoid repeated hard cutting.

Autumn

Plant in well-drained ground where winters are mild; water thoroughly and mulch.

Late winter

Check for winter damage, but wait until growth starts before removing wood whose condition is uncertain.

Spring

Plant in colder parts of its range once the soil is workable, and water regularly while roots establish.

Late spring

After flowering, remove crossing branches and lightly shape young plants if needed.

Summer

Check young plants during dry spells and water deeply when the root zone becomes dry.

Autumn

Remove unwanted seedlings and collect fallen seeds where accidental ingestion is a concern.

• Use as a small flowering specimen beside a terrace, allowing room for its naturally spreading crown.
• Plant along an open woodland edge with drought-tolerant shrubs and grasses.
• Include in a loose mixed screen rather than a tightly clipped hedge.
• Pair with limestone, gravel and native perennials in a dry southwestern garden.

Garden styles it suits: Southwestern, Texas Hill Country, Desert / xeriscape, Woodland, Pollinator garden and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Texas sage, Flame acanthus, Autumn sage, Little bluestem, Side-oats grama and Red yucca.

Wildlife: Spring flowers attract bees and other pollinating insects. Its branching structure provides shelter for small birds; do not treat the poisonous seeds as wildlife feed.

• Poor growth or root rot in waterlogged soil: improve drainage or move the plant to higher ground; do not keep the root zone constantly wet.
• Leaf scorch or early leaf drop during severe drought: water deeply during prolonged dry periods, especially while the plant is young.
• Frost-damaged flowers or shoot tips: choose a sheltered position away from frost pockets and prune dead tips once new growth reveals the damage.
• Occasional scale insects: inspect stems and leaf undersides; remove small infestations by hand or use a labelled horticultural oil when conditions permit.

Poisonous if eaten, especially the seeds. Ingestion can cause serious illness in people and livestock, including horses. Species-specific information for cats and dogs is limited, so keep seeds and other plant material out of their reach and contact a vet after suspected ingestion. These are not edible buckeyes or nuts.

• Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia)

  Red buckeye has opposite, palmately compound leaves with leaflets radiating from one point, and upright clusters of tubular red flowers.

• Texas mountain laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum)

  Texas mountain laurel is evergreen, with thick, glossy leaflets, purple pea-shaped flowers and elongated pods containing red seeds. Mexican buckeye is deciduous and has three-lobed capsules with dark seeds.

The common name refers to its Mexican range and its shiny, buckeye-like seeds, while the botanical epithet speciosa means showy.

Propagation. Grow from ripe seed collected when the capsules split. Carefully nick the hard seed coat without damaging the embryo, then soak overnight and sow in a well-drained seed mix in warmth. Keep evenly moist, not saturated; seed-grown plants may take several years to flower.

Accepted botanical name

Ungnadia speciosa

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, New Mexico and Texas.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.