1 / 9

Cordia boissieri

anacahuita

Boraginaceae

Southern Texas and northeastern Mexico

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Attracts Hummingbirds Drought Tolerant

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 8–11

Overview

Cordia boissieri is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the borage family, reaching 10-25 feet (3-7.6 m) tall with a rounded, densely branched crown of similar spread. The dark green leaves are oval, 3-5 inches (8-13 cm) long, with a rough upper surface and velvety, paler undersides. Clusters of white trumpet-shaped flowers open at the branch tips, each 2-2.5 inches (5-6 cm) across with a yellow to pale gold throat. Flowering occurs in flushes from spring through fall, heaviest after rainfall, and a few blooms can appear in any warm month. The flowers give way to white to cream fruits about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long that ripen with sweet pulp; the fruit is eaten by birds and mammals but can cause mild intoxication in livestock if consumed in quantity. The plant is strongly drought tolerant once established and grows on poor, rocky, alkaline soils where many broadleaf evergreens struggle. Its main limitation is cold sensitivity: foliage is damaged below about 20F (-7C) and stems can be killed by hard freezes, restricting it to USDA zones 8-11. Growth is slow to moderate, and the species keeps a naturally rounded form with little training.

Native Range

Native to the lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas and to northeastern Mexico, where it grows in semi-arid brushland on limestone soils.

Suggested Uses

Used as a flowering specimen, screen, or street and patio tree in arid and semi-arid landscapes of the southern United States and Mexico, spaced 10-15 feet (3-4.6 m) apart. It also serves in xeriscape and native plantings where drought and alkaline soils limit other small trees.

How to Identify

Recognize it by oval, rough-textured dark green leaves with velvety undersides and clusters of white trumpet flowers 2-2.5 inches (5-6 cm) wide with a yellow throat. The olive-sized white fruits and a dense rounded crown 10-25 feet (3-7.6 m) tall confirm the identification.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height10' - 25'

Width/Spread10' - 20'

Reaches mature size in approximately 10 years

Colors

Flower Colors

white

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~4 weeks

Spring Summer Fall

Flowers appear in flushes from March through October, with the heaviest displays following spring and summer rains. In frost-free locations scattered blooms can open in nearly any month. Each flush lasts one to two weeks before fading.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

white with yellow throat

Foliage Description

dark green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range7.0 - 8.5(Alkaline)

357912

Soil Types

sand rocky loam chalk

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

5-10 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun on well-drained sandy, rocky, or alkaline soils and tolerates the high pH of limestone ground. Established plants are strongly drought tolerant and need only occasional deep watering in extended dry spells. Soil pH from 7.0 to 8.5 is suitable, and good drainage matters more than fertility. It is hardy in USDA zones 8-11 and recovers from light frost but is cut back by hard freezes. Young plants benefit from supplemental water through their first two summers to build a deep root system. Salt tolerance allows use in coastal and roadside plantings of the southern range.

Pruning

Little pruning is needed because the crown stays naturally rounded. Lower branches can be removed over a few seasons to train a single-trunk tree form, and frost-damaged wood is cut back to live growth in spring.