Redbay

Persea borbonia

native · Central Texas

Redbay is a tree native to Central Texas that grows 12–40 ft tall and 30 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and high water, and handles clay soil. Blooms yellow in late spring. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Good for birds and small mammals.

Wet ground only. Usually found in wetlands and creek bottoms. It wants reliably moist ground and struggles in a dry upland bed.

Will it grow in your yard?

Enter your ZIP. The finder checks Redbay against your microclimate, then ranks it against your sun, your watering and deer pressure.

The facts

5 sources

Type: Tree
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3–7 hrs of direct sun)
Water: High
Height: 12–40 ft
Spread: 30 ft
Bloom: Late Spring · yellow
Foliage: Evergreen
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on clay, loam, moist, sand
Wildlife: Supports birds and small mammals

Where it grows

Recorded in this EPA Level IV ecoregion in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Floodplains and Low Terraces

12 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.

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.