Ungnadia speciosa, also known as the Mexican Buckeye, is a beautiful shrub or small tree that is native to northeastern Mexico, western Texas, and southern New Mexico. The plant can grow up to 30 feet in height and is often multi-trunked with light gray to brown bark. Its pinnate foliage turns golden yellow in the fall and it produces clusters of fragrant, bright-pink flowers that resemble redbuds or peaches. The Mexican Buckeye is named after Baron Ferdinand von Ungnad, an Austrian ambassador who introduced the Horsechestnut into western Europe in 1576.
While Mexican Buckeye presumably provides cover for wildlife species and shade for domestic livestock, its toxic foliage can be harmful to livestock and humans. However, the sweet-tasting seeds are readily eaten by a variety of small mammals, and the fragrant flowers provide nectar for honey bees, making it a good honey plant.
Mexican Buckeye can also be planted as a shade tree or ornamental in landscaping, and it is attractive when planted alone or intermixed with other species. Its fragrant, showy flowers enhance its attractiveness during the spring, and it can be trained as a hedge, planted onto berms of earth-covered homes, or used as a "display thicket shrub."
