Description
Form: A multi-trunked shrub, or with pruning, a tree.
Leaf retention: Deciduous.
Growth rate: Slow the first year, increasing with age, dependent on water and sun.
Mature Size: Typically 10-15' (3-4.5m) high and wide, but up to 30' (9m) in favorable locations.
Flowers: Rose-purple to pink, four petals, 7-10 long stamens, one style, fragrant.
Bloom: Late winter to late spring, just before or during leaf-out. Flowers for the entire tree are in bloom for only one or two weeks.
Fruit: A three chambered seed pod containing shiny, sweet but poisonous, dark round seeds, about 1/2" (12mm) in diameter, persisting on the tree for most of the year.
Leaves: Green, oval to lance-shaped leaflets, poisonous, turning yellow in fall. This plant provides dense shade.
Stems: Smooth, mottled, gray-brown bark, no thorns.
Roots: A deep taproot. This plant can resprout from its roots if cut down after becoming well established. It is not invasive.
Wildlife: The flowers attract bees and butterflies. This tree is a larval host to some butterfly species. The seed attracts insects and small mammals.
Toxic / Danger: The sweet-tasting seeds are poisonous. The leaves are poisonous to livestock but are seldom browsed.
Origin: New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico.

Cultivation and Uses
USDA hardiness zones: 7-11.
Heat tolerant: Yes.
Drought tolerant: Yes.
Sun: Full sun to part shade.
Soil: Well draining, dry, low in organic content, pH 6.1-8.5 (slightly acidic to alkaline).
Water after becoming established: Once or twice a month.
Prune: After flowering, prune to develop a tree form or to maintain a rounded shape. Flowers bloom on old wood.
Litter: Flowers and seeds.
Propagation: Fresh seeds planted in moist, very warm soil often sprout in 2-3 weeks. Do not allow the soil to dry out.
Uses: Ornamental, hedge, low water (xeriscape) garden.

Comments
Ungnadia speciosa is a member of the Soapberry family (Sapindaceae), but is not a true Buckeye, which belong to the genus Aesculus within the same family. The seed pods resemble those of the Buckeye tree, giving the plant its common name.

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