Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands
Plant Characteristics
Growth Form
Tree
Height
10
to
25
ft.
Spread
12
to
15
ft.
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Lifespan
Perennial
Habitat and Care Requirements
Soil Type(s)
Sand, Acid, Well Drained
Light Requirement
Sun, Part Shade
Water Requirement
Low, Medium
Native Habitat
Grassland
Bloom and Attraction
Bloom Color
Yellow, Green
Bloom Season
Spring
Seasonal Interest
Seeds, Larval Host
Wildlife Benefit
Butterflies, Birds
Maintenance
Don’t prune. Propagation: Seeds/fruits.
Comments
Blooms January-May. Aromatic and showy, round headed tree or shrub with spines on branches; gray bark covered with spine-tipped cone-like growths. Lustrous, pinnately compound leaves with spines on leaf stem, 5-19 leaflets with serrated edges. Clusters of whitish-yellowish flowers in spring. Clustered, shiny black fruits in fall on females feed birds. Larval host: Giant Swallowtail butterfly, Nectar source: butterflies, and Seed source: birds.