Texas Hercules' Club
Zanthoxylum hirsutumnative · Hill Countrycaution
Texas Hercules' Club is a tree native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 6–12 ft tall and 12 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water, and handles caliche and clay soil. Blooms yellow and green in Mar–Apr. Good for butterflies.
Caution — people. Sharp recurved thorns at hand height.
Will it grow in your yard?
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The facts
3 sources- Type
- Tree
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade (3–7 hrs of direct sun)
- Water
- Low
- Height
- 6–12 ft
- Spread
- 12 ft
- Bloom
- Mar–Apr · yellow, green
- Foliage
- Deciduous or dies back in winter
- Soil
- Takes caliche and clay · recorded on calcareous, dry, loam
- Wildlife
- Supports butterflies
Where it grows
Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:
Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandNorthern Blackland PrairieLimestone Cut Plain
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.