Trees for West Texas
- West Texas has dry calcareous soils, high winds and punishing temperature extremes. It generally is defined as the area west of Interstate 35, which runs north and south through the state. Native trees for West Texas must be able to survive in these harsh conditions. There are some native trees adapted to the area that can be used for shade, windbreaks or as attractive blooming specimens.
- The Texas Madrone or Manzanita (Arbutus xalapensis) is a small multitrunked tree that grows to 30 feet. It is evergreen and tolerant of dry soils, but grows best in well-drained soils with additional moisture. The tree's outstanding feature is its exfoliating bark, which peels away and exposes red inner bark. The Texas madrone produces small white flowers in spring followed by clusters of red berries in late summer. It grows best in the dry areas of West Texas where it is highly adapted as a native plant.
- The desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) is a leggy tree that may have one main trunk or several. It is not related to the willow, but to the catalpa tree, which is evident when the long catalpalike seed pods are produced after the bloom period. The fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers are white, pink or purple depending on the variety. The growth habit is rangy and the narrow leaves cast a light shade. The mature size of a desert willow tree is about 35 feet. It is very drought tolerant and deciduous.
- The Arizona ash is deciduous shade tree used for landscaping in West Texas. It has a broad spreading crown and grows to 40 feet tall and wide. The leaves turn a bright yellow in fall. The Arizona ash grows best where there is a shallow water table, but is tolerant of the dry conditions prevalent in West Texas.
- The chinkapin oak, chestnut oak or yellow oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) is a deciduous variety of oak tree with serrated leaves up to 8 inches long and more than 4 inches wide. It has a mature size of 60 to 80 feet and a spread of 30 feet. The eventual mature size depends on the location and available moisture. The chinquapin oak is tolerant of the dry conditions and alkaline soils of West Texas.
- The Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) is adapted to the dry and cool mountainous parts of far West Texas. The bark is dark brown and comes off easily in strips and the branches have a slight drooping habit. The durable wood is highly aromatic and used for making furniture and building materials. The Rocky Mountain juniper is slow-growing but can live longer than 200 years. It grows to 35 feet tall with a mature spread of 15 feet. There are many varieties of Juniperus scopulorum available in the nursery trade with varying growth habits, including dwarf varieties.