''Amyris texana'', commonly known as the Texas torchwood or chapotillo, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in Bo ...

. It is native to southern

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...

, and

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

. It is a perennial shrub reaching in height and is found in the

Tamaulipan mezquital The Tamaulipan mezquital (), also known as the Brush Country, is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion in the Southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It covers an area of , encompassing a portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain in southern T ...

ecoregion.

Description

Texas torchwood grows to a height of and roughly the same width. Its leaves are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

with three pairs of leaflets, and they "smell like

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

when crushed." Small, cream-colored flowers bloom in clusters from March until October or November. Dark purple fruits form when the flowers have been

pollinated Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, for example bees, beetles or butterflies; bird ...

, each containing one seed. The bark is

mottled Mottle is a pattern of irregular marks, spots, streaks, blotches or patches of different shades or colours. It is commonly used to describe the surface of plants or the skin of animals. In plants, mottling usually consists of yellowish spots on p ...

and lacks thorns.

Ecology

Texas torchwood is both a

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

-resistant and freeze-hardy shrub. It attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, bees, and other pollinators. Giant swallowtail butterflies exclusively lay their eggs on the young leaves of Texas torchwood and a handful of other plants.

Gallery

File:Amyris texana full.jpg, Texas torchwood (Amyris texana) observed in Hidalgo County, Texas. Photo by Douglas Goldman. File:Amyris texana flower.jpg, Texas torchwood (Amyris texana) observed in Hidalgo County, Texas. Photo by Douglas Goldman. File:Amyris texana.jpg, Torchwood, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Mission, Hidalgo County, March 2023. File:AmyrisTexana2.jpg, Texas torchwood (Amyris texana) observed in Hidalgo County, Texas. Photo by Douglas Goldman.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15386987, from2=Q39832472 texana Flora of Texas Flora of Northeastern Mexico