Leucophyllum frutescens

Cenizo, Purple Sage, Texas Ranger, Texas Barometer Bush, Texas Silverleaf, Texas Sage, Silverleaf

Leucophyllum frutescens, also known as Texas sage, silver leaf, or barometer bush, is a shrub typically 5-8 feet tall. It has a compact but loosely branched structure that tends to sprawl as it ages unless pruned. This shrub is native to rocky limestone slopes in calcareous soils in the Chihuahuan Desert, extending from northern Mexico into Texas and New Mexico.

The shrub has attractive silver-gray leaves, which are almost evergreen, but some leaf drops may occur during winter. Tiny, tubular, purple flowers with five lobes, which are around 1 inch long, bloom singly from the leaf axils at various times of the year, mainly from summer to fall. Flower bloom is usually triggered by rains or significant soil moisture, hence the common name of barometer bush. The flowers give way to 2-valved capsules containing numerous tiny seeded capsules.

BONAP MAP

Height: 5’-8’
Spread 4’-6’
Bloom: Triggered by Rain
Light: Full Sun
Water: Low
Zone: 7, 8, 9
Origin: Texas