PlantFiles: Mexican Buckeye
Ungnadia speciosa

Ungnadia is a neat plant that I really just discovered this year when one (that I had never noticed before) was suddenly flowering profusely at the entrance to the building I work in. The flowers seemed so odd that I had to figure out what it was, and I was really happy to find out that it was a native plant here in Texas, and not some exotic ornamental! A couple of weeks ago I noticed the fruits were mature and cracking open, so I collected the three seeds from one and stuck them in an old pot of soil in my office window and watered them. No scarification or anything (it didn't even occur to me honestly). Within a few days all three had germinated, and after two weeks the seedlings are two inches tall. Spiffy. I look forward to planting them out in my yard eventually.

started 2 from seed. scarifed seed & soaked in fish emulsion for a few days before planting in pots. After 1 yr planted 1 in early day sun and 2nd in mostly shade of native oak & elm. Both doing great. Both flower. Great fall color. Both about 6-7ft tall in yr 4.

I picked seeds from a mature plant outside the Texas General Land Office in Austin in mid-October. I used a file on the hard shell the same way I did with Texas Mountain Laurel seeds. Three of the five seeds I planted sprouted within two weeks. The other two still have not sprouted even after four weeks. I tried planting some without scarifying them 8 months ago and still haven't seen any sprouts. Maybe in a couple years we'll see something? My advice is to scarify them before you plant them. Once they emerge, the new sprouts are a beautiful red. The new leaves gradually turn green while the stalk remains red.

As with all Buckeyes, seeds are somewhat poisonous, but this is not a major consideration. The leaves, which resemble Pecan, also are poison to livestock, but are rarely browsed.
Because of its drought tolerance, attractive flowers, and size, Mexican Buckeye has use in xeriscaping.
Mexican Buckeye is usually a shrub, but can become a small tree to 30 feet. The specimens I examined were all shrub-like, about 14 feet tall, growing on a rocky limestone bluff and down into a canyon at Lake Belton near the highway 36 bridge. Some of these specimens were growing under a canopy of larger trees and appeared to be thriving well in what looked to be a shady location - one was in full sun.

I worked on a landscape just outside of Bandera towards Medina where there were many buckeyes growing underneath the established trees next to the Medina River. They were quite nicely shaped, had many seed pods as evidence of heavy flowering. The resident said they flowered very prettily about the same time as redbuds.

Mexican Buckeye is a slow growing shrub or small tree. I started mine from seed and it took four years to reach maturity, but it certainly is worth the wait. The flowers look very much like those of the Redbud but have a deeper burgundy color. The leaves look like those of the Pecan tree and the seed pods are very interesting. We like this shrub very much and are proud to have it in our garden.

I haven't ever grown this plant, but have collected seeds from ones I've seen in person. The seeds have a hard coat, so I suspect that you should scarify before sowing, but I'm not sure. Once planted, it is imperative to keep the soil moist ~ do not let it dry out ~ until the seedlings emerge. Seeds need lots of moisture to sprout, but once it reaches some size, it will thrive in drought conditions. Kind of weird, huh?

I got this plant several years ago at a 'plant giveaway' at Raulston Arboretum. It has proven to be quite hardy (I forgot about it in its pot for a long time and it recovered). It has done well thru our record drought. It flowered this spring and is flowering again now (8/27/02).