Desert Willow

Chilopsis linearis

Hills guide picknative · Hill Countrysold locally

Desert Willow is a small tree native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 15–20 ft tall and 15–20 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and very low water, and handles caliche soil. Blooms purple in late spring. Good for birds, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Will it grow in your yard?

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Airy small tree with narrow leaves and trumpet flowers in white through burgundy from spring into fall. Not a true willow.

Why it works here

Long bloom season, serious hummingbird traffic, and almost no water once established. Casts light shade that underplanting can live in.

Watch out

Wants sharp drainage. Prune to a shape early or it sprawls. Drops seed pods.

The facts

9 sources

Type: Small tree
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3+ hrs)
Water: Very low
Height: 15–20 ft
Spread: 15–20 ft
Bloom: Late Spring · purple
Foliage: Deciduous
Soil: Takes caliche · recorded on limestone, sand, well drained
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth. Flowers and new shoots browsed; the plant survives it.
Wildlife: Supports birds, butterflies and hummingbirds

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandLimestone Cut Plain

375 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

5, 15, 30, 45 gallon

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.