Mexican Buckeye Ungnadia speciosa 10 Seeds USA Company

The Mexican buckeye is a small, deciduous tree or shrub with spreading branches and lovely, pink flowers that emerge with the new leaves in the spring. It can reach 30 ft. in height. It is often multi-trunked with light gray to brown bark, smooth on young branches, becoming fissured with age. Leaves are odd-pinnate and up to 12 inches long, with a central axis and 2-6 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets up to 5 inches long, ovate to narrower with an elongate tip, rounded base, and serrate margins. The foliage turns golden yellow in fall. Clusters of bright-pink, fragrant flowers appear before or with the leaves from the axils of the previous season. Fruit distinctive, a light reddish brown when ripe, 3 lobed capsule containing 1 to 3 dark brown to black, shiny seeds 1/2 inch in diameter, the walls of the capsule often persisting through the winter.

From a distance the plants in full flower resemble redbuds or peaches. Although not a true buckeye, it is so called because of the similar large capsules and seeds. This distinct plant is the only species in its genus.

This plant may be used as a large, coarse multi-trunk shrub or trained into a small tree. As it is a tall spreading plant it makes an attractive tall background shrub or deciduous screen. The foliage and seeds are poisonous. The flowers provide nectar for honeybees. Mexican buckeye is seldom browsed by livestock or deer. Mexican buckeye occurs rocky areas on the well-drained limestone soils in canyons, slopes, ridges and stream banks in Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico. Hardiness zones 7-9

Growing Instructions

1. The seeds like well-drained, sandy or limestone soils. Prepare a mixture of half potting soil and half sand, perlite or vermiculite. Put the soil in a pot. Use a deep container because they have a long tap root. Water the mixture so that it is moist but not wet.
2. Put the seeds on the soil.
3. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil.
4. Water the seeds.
5. Place the pots in an area with warm temperatures in full sun or part shade.
6. When the seedlings are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted.