Arbutus xalapensis
Texas Madrone
Arbutus xalapensis, Texas madrone, is a small multi-stemmed evergreen tree. It has ornamental flowers and fruit and striking exfoliating bark. This tree prefers full sun to part-shade and has a low to medium water requirement.
None found.
Preliminary research and consultation led us to worry about seedlings damping off or lack of mycorrhizal partners in our soil. However, we experienced near 100% germination with fresh seed put into 45 day cold stratification in moist peat in plastic bag in refrigerator. (The least successful germination we had was with older seed used.) They were then sown in the heated greenhouse, and we were careful not to overwater. Some seedlings suffered through transplant, or were lost to damping off. They suffer leaf tip burn slightly under our poor water quality as well as from aphids in summer. Seedlings are moderately fast growers.