Fabaceae FAMILY

Eysenhardtia texana

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitShrub

GrowthFast

Eysenhardtia texana is native from the warm temperate zone of Texas south to the tropical zone of southeastern Mexico. It can be found in desert areas with as little as 50mm of rainfall in the year, but is also found in temperate pine forest where annual rainfall can reach 1,750mm. Grows best in a sunny position, tolerating part shade^[1]. The plant prefers calcareous soils, though it is found in the wild on a wide range of soils including saline, limestone, clayey, sandy-clays and rocky slopes^[2]. Established plants are drought tolerant, though are likely to defoliate during the drought^[1]. A fast-growing plant in moist conditions^[1]. The vegetative parts of the plant give off a citrusy odour when crushed^[1]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby^[3].

Propagation

Seed - sow in spring in trays in light shade in a greenhouse. No presoaking is necessary, though 12 hours in warm water might speed up the process. Germination is best at daytime temperatures of 20 - 30°c with 12 hours of light each day, though it will also germinate in the dark at temperatures from 15 - 40°c^[1]. Be very careful with the seedlings, they are very susceptible to damping off. Pot up when seedlings have three sets of true leaves and plant out when around 15 - 25cm tall. Seed can also be sown whilst still in the seedpods. The pods should be soaked for 72 hours prior to sowing, with the water being changed every 8 hours^[1]. Cuttings of soft or semi-hard wood, 10 - 15cm long, taken in the summer and early autumn. Cuttings tend to root in 3 - 4 weeks^[1]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Eysenhardtia+texana>

Pollinators

Bees

References

[1]Plants Database — United States Department of Agriculture · http://plants.usda.gov/java/factSheet ↩︎An online database with an excellent collection of fact sheets about native N. American plants.
[2]Revisión del género Eysenhardtiaa (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae). — Ramiro Cruz Durán · Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México · 2006 ↩︎
[3]The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation — Allen O.N.; Allen E.K. · University of Wisconsin · 1981 · ISBN 0-333-32221-5 ↩︎An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
[4]Eysenhardtia (Leguminosae): Taxonomic revision and relationships — Lang J.M. · Iowa State University · 1972 · http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/4750 ↩︎
[5]Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas — Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J · Botanical Research Institute, Texas. · 1999 · http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm · ISBN 1-889878-01-4 ↩︎An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.
[6]Activity of extracts from two Eysenhardtia species against microorganisms related to urinary tract infections — C. Rivas-Morales et al · 2009 ↩︎