vauquelina
( vau - kwel - INN - ee - uh )
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At-A-Glance Information,Plants in this genus of evergreen shrubs or trees, commonly called Rosewoods, needs full sun or partial shade and little to moderate amounts of water. They have relatively open habits, and reach 20 feet tall and a little less wide, with dark green leaves that are leathery and toothed. Leaves are greyish underneath. Flowers are small, fragrant, and white, blooming in clusters at branch tips in springtime. Blooms are followed by seed capsules that stay on the plant through fall and winter. Vauquelinia is native to the southwestern United States and northern areas of Mexico. This plant can serve as a great drought-tolerant shrub or small tree, and produces a nectar that is a wasp favorite.
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vanquelinia Species and Varietals
The genus Vauquelinia includes just two species., and is a member of the plant family Rosaceae. It is named for the French chemist Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, who discovered the elements chromium and beryllium The best growing zones for Vauquelinia are 10-13. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.
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Vauquelinia californica (Arizona Rosewood) This species is native to the Sonoran Desert, where it grows naturally as a multitrunked tree. The dark brown wood of this plant is streaked with red, and produces dense clusters of cream-white flowers in early springtime. Leaves are bright green with smooth margins. If trained into a small single-trunk tree, this plant can reach a height of 15 feet tall. |
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Vauquelinia corymbosa angustifolia (Slimleaf Vauquelinia, Chisos Redwood) This species is native to western Texas and northern Mexico, and has narrow leaves. Leaf margins are toothed, and leaves are light green in color. These shrubs usually reach between 9 and 15 feet tall, but in their natural habitat at maturity can grow to 30 feet tall. |
Caring for and pruning Vauquelinia shrubs
Plant in full to partial sun; they perform best in full sun (at least 6-8 hours per day). Well-draining soil is essential; these shrubs and trees prefer a pH of 6.6 - 9.0. Amend soil with plenty of organic matter before planting. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged, and increase waterings in hot, dry periods. Some species can be sensitive to cold temperatures, as they are naturally desert landscape plants. Provide adequate protection; these plants are hardy down to between 10 and 15 degrees Fahrenheit, but will suffer damage if temperatures are below freezing for too long a period. Apply a layer of mulch around the base of the shrub or tree to conserve soil moisture, suppress weed growth and regulate soil temperature.
Prune to shape and neaten in late wintertime or early springtime, and remove dead or damaged growth. These shrubs cannot be sheared. These plants do not generally need supplemental feedings as long as the soil is amended regularly with organic matter. If the shrub seems to be struggling, however, a well-balanced, water soluble fertilizer applied in springtime can go a long way in supporting the season's new growth.
Prune to shape and neaten in late wintertime or early springtime, and remove dead or damaged growth. These shrubs cannot be sheared. These plants do not generally need supplemental feedings as long as the soil is amended regularly with organic matter. If the shrub seems to be struggling, however, a well-balanced, water soluble fertilizer applied in springtime can go a long way in supporting the season's new growth.
Propagation
vauquelinia can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your shrub, follow the instructions below:
Propagating Vauquenlinia by Cutting
Propagating Vauquelinia by Seed
Propagating Vauquenlinia by Cutting
- Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
- In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
- Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots.
- Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.
Propagating Vauquelinia by Seed
- Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
- Harvest your seeds. The seed pods are left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will continue to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
- Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 7-14 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
- Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.
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Vauquelinia seeds are contained inside the seed heads left in the center of flowers after they have faded. They will begin to yellow and brown, eventually drying out and releasing the seeds. When seeds begin to be released from their pods, you'll know its a good time to harvest the flower head and bring it inside. |
Problems and Pests
These shrubs and trees are generally free of pest and disease, but they can be susceptible to:
- Aphids
- Spider Mites
- Texas Root Rot
Gallery
These shrubs can cover eyesores like home walls, or line pathoways.
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They produce profuse shows of cream-white fragrant blooms in springtime.
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Vauquellnia can be grown as a multitrunked or single-trunked tree.
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Videos
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Resources
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 645, Vauquelinia
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