
Full Sun
Part Sun/Shade
Very Low Water Requirement
Very Low Maintenance
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Pollinators
Flowers
Deer Resistant
Texas Native
Central Texas Native
COMMON NAMES
White Orchid Tree
PLANT DESCRIPTION
Sun to part shade; can be evergreen with south wall protection, otherwise deciduous. A multi-trunked small specimen tree or a mounding shrub; it performs well in thin, rocky soil. Unique hoof-like leaves and orchid-like white flowers appear in spring and periodically throughout the year. This sweet plant is a pollinator magnet that requires little to no supplemental water once established.
Don’t overprune young plants to force them into a treelike shape; losing all their lower branches in a single day may result in a severely weakened tree. Remember, pruning is always optional. In general, focus on minimizing dead, damaged, or rubbing branches. Cuts should only be made at a bud or branch; as with any tree, remove no more than 25% of the total canopy during any five-year cycle. To maintain a healthy specimen, leave the upper 2/3 of the tree’s height uncut, and never remove more than the lowest third of the tree in a single pruning period — for example, on a 12-foot tree, stick to the lowest 4 feet.
Mulch with about 2” of woodchips or pine bark wherever possible. (In general, a tree’s mulched area should be six feet at minimum.)