Texas Lignum-vitae
Guaiacum angustifoliumTexas Lignum-vitae is a tree native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 8–10 ft tall and 20 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water, and handles caliche and clay soil. Blooms purple and violet in Mar–Sep. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Good for butterflies.
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
- 8–10 ft
- Spread
- 20 ft
- Bloom
- Mar–Sep · purple, violet
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Soil
- Takes caliche and clay · recorded on clay, dry, loam, sand, well drained
- Wildlife
- Supports butterflies
Where it grows
Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:
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.