Hercules' Club
Zanthoxylum clava-herculisnative · Central Texascaution
Hercules' Club is a tree native to Central Texas that grows 10–25 ft tall and 15 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and medium water. Blooms yellow and green in Mar–Apr. Good for butterflies.
Caution — people. Sharp thorns; leaves numb the mouth if chewed.
Will it grow in your yard?
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The facts
5 sources- Type
- Tree
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade (5–8 hrs of direct sun)
- Water
- Medium
- Height
- 10–25 ft
- Spread
- 15 ft
- Bloom
- Mar–Apr · yellow, green
- Foliage
- Deciduous or dies back in winter
- Soil
- Recorded on dry, loam, moist, sand, well drained
- Wildlife
- Supports butterflies
Where it grows
Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:
Northern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaFloodplains and Low Terraces
1,445 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).
Can you buy it?
Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.