Guajillo
Senegalia berlandieri
A compact tree with delightfully fragrant cream puffball flowers and fine, feathery foliage.
Hardy to about 15-18°F in low and mid desert; frost hardy once established.
AMWUA Notes
Low water; a fine-textured, fragrant small tree well suited to screening.
Care Guide
Deep-soak every 2-3 weeks in summer once established; drought tolerant.
Wear gloves for the variable thorns; thin the multi-trunk form into a small tree or leave shrubby, working in late winter.
No fertilizer needed; a nitrogen-fixing legume.
Essentially pest-free.
Fragrant cream puffballs from late winter into spring (allergen pollen); semi-evergreen fine foliage with pod litter.
Soil, Feeding & Propagation
Sharply draining rocky, limestone, or decomposed-granite soil; thrives on caliche and alkaline pH 7.5–8.5
Needs sharp, fast-draining soil.
None — thrives in lean desert soil without fertilizer.
Grown from scarified seed; establishes from nursery stock
10–12 ft
Deep, non-aggressive roots; keep thorns and pod litter back from pools and walkways
Placement Tips
- •Compact at about 12 ft with lacy foliage, good as a small specimen or screen.
- •Variable thorns, so site it off walkways and pools.
- •Fragrant early blooms are nice near seating, though the allergen pollen makes it a poor fit for allergy-sensitive patios.
- •Full sun with good drainage.
Features
Best Uses
Companion Plants
Quick Stats
Design Styles
Include in Your Project
Love Guajillo? Our landscape team sources from wholesale nurseries and can incorporate it into your design.
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Use this care guide to maintain your Guajillo. Questions about your landscape? Reach out anytime.
Data from 2024 AMWUA “Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert” guide.