Cascalote
Tara cacalaco
A showstopper that lights up the winter garden with spikes of fragrant yellow flowers when most trees are dormant.
Frost-sensitive, hardy to about 20-25°F and best in low desert; hard freeze damages flowers and foliage, so protect young trees.
AMWUA Notes
Low water; valued for its rare fragrant winter bloom.
Care Guide
Deep-soak every two weeks in summer and less in winter; deep infrequent watering.
Prune after the winter bloom to shape; wear heavy gloves for the recurved thorns (or plant the thornless Smoothie cultivar) and train to a single or multi-trunk form.
A light spring feeding supports bloom.
Essentially pest-free.
Showy fragrant yellow flower spikes in late fall and winter when little else blooms; evergreen in mild winters with large flat pods.
Soil, Feeding & Propagation
Well-draining rocky or decomposed-granite soil; tolerates caliche and alkaline pH 7.5–8.5
Needs well-drained soil.
Low feeder.
Grown from scarified seed; thornless Smoothie form propagated to stay true
15–20 ft
Non-aggressive roots; keep the recurved thorns and large pods back from pools and paths
Placement Tips
- •About 20 ft as a winter-blooming focal point; site it where the rare winter color is visible from indoors.
- •Recurved thorns and pod litter mean keeping it 10+ ft from pools and paths, or choose the thornless Smoothie cultivar.
- •Full sun drives the best bloom; needs good drainage.
- •Grow as a single- or multi-trunk specimen.
Features
Best Uses
Companion Plants
Quick Stats
Design Styles
Include in Your Project
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Use this care guide to maintain your Cascalote. Questions about your landscape? Reach out anytime.
Data from 2024 AMWUA “Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert” guide.