Mexican Buckeye

Ungnadia speciosa

Mexican buckeye is a shrub or small tree that grows multi trunked or single stemmed. It normally has an irregular overall shape. It has purple flowers in the spring that bloom just after the bloom of the redbuds. Flowers come out just before the foliage or as the immature foliage starts to emerge. Brilliant yellow fall color and decorative 3 compartment seed pods on bare branches in the winter. Mexican buckeye is very easy to grow in sun or part shade in any well drained soil. Slow to moderate growth and needs very little water and fertilizer. Although drought tolerant it can also stand moist soils. Bees make an excellent honey from the flowers.

This plant may be used as a large, coarse multi-trunk shrub or trained into a small tree. Basal pruning in late spring will maintain the tree form. As it is a tall spreading plant it makes an attractive tall background shrub or deciduous screen, but because of its spreading nature it is not well suited near the street. Mexican buckeye's round black somewhat shiny seeds are contained within a coarse, dark brown 3 valved capsule which somewhat resembles buckeye (Aesculus spp.) seeds. However, the two species are not related.

Mexican-buckeye normally grows to be 8 - 12 feet tall but it can reach 30 feet in height. Its purple flowers bloom in the spring. Flowers emerge as the immature foliage starts to grow. Its leaves are up to 12 inches long with a central axis supporting 2 to 6 paired leaflets and a terminal one; its leaflets are up to 5 inches long, ovate to narrow, with an elongate tip, rounded base, and serrate margins. Its pinnate foliage turns golden yellow in fall, with decorative 3 compartment seed pods on the bare branches in the winter. The seed are poisonous, round, shiny, black and hard. The seeds are sometimes used by children as marbles.

Because of its drought tolerance, attractive flowers, and size, Mexican Buckeye is great for xeriscaping.

Mexican buckeye produces an opulent show when it blooms. The foliage turns a clear yellow in the fall. Foliage, flowers and dense branching makes this species an outstanding small specimen tree or tall background shrub. Rapid-growing, drought-resistant, resistant to cotton root rot. Prune to encourage a single trunk if desired. Growth characteristics of this tree vary greatly with site.