Ebenopsis ebano
Encyclopedia
Ebenopsis ebano is a species of flowering plant
in the pea
family, Fabaceae
, that is native to the coastal plain of southern Texas
in the United States
and eastern Mexico
. It is commonly known as Texas Ebony or Ébano (in Spanish
).
tree
that reaches a height of 7.6–9.1 m (24.9–29.9 ft) and a crown width of 1.8–4.6 m (5.9–15.1 ft).
and Corpus Christi, Texas
south through the states of Tamaulipas
, Nuevo León
, San Luis Potosí
, Veracruz
, Campeche
, and Yucatán
in Mexico
. It can be found in the Tamaulipan matorral
, Tamaulipan mezquital
, Veracruz dry forests
, and Yucatán dry forests ecoregions. Its habitat extends from sea level to 1000 m (3,280.8 ft), averages 20 to 27 °C (68 to 80.6 F) in temperature, and receives a mean of 900 mm (35.4 in) of annual rainfall.
for its dense foliage and fragrant flower
s. It is also used in bonsai
.
plant for the catepillars of the Coyote Cloudywing (Achalarus toxeus
) and Sphingicampa blanchardi. The seedpods host the bean weevil
s Stator
beali and S. limbatus. Despite the native range of Texas Ebony overlapping with that of the latter, S. limbatus only feeds upon it in locales where it is grown as an ornamental and is not native. E. ebano is also a preferred host of the epiphyte
Bailey's Ball Moss (Tillandsia baileyi
).
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
family, Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
, that is native to the coastal plain of southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and eastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is commonly known as Texas Ebony or Ébano (in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
).
Description
Texas Ebony is a small, evergreenEvergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
that reaches a height of 7.6–9.1 m (24.9–29.9 ft) and a crown width of 1.8–4.6 m (5.9–15.1 ft).
Habitat and range
The range of E. ebano stretches from LaredoLaredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
and Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
south through the states of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
, Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, Campeche
Campeche
Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...
, and Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It can be found in the Tamaulipan matorral
Tamaulipan matorral
The Tamaulipan matorral ecoregion, in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, is of northern Mexico.-Setting:The Tamaulipan matorral extends along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental range in northeastern Mexico, extending from central Tamaulipas state across central Nuevo León. The...
, Tamaulipan mezquital
Tamaulipan mezquital
The Tamaulipan mezquital ecoregion, in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, is located in the southern United States and northeastern Mexico...
, Veracruz dry forests
Veracruz dry forests
The Veracruz dry forests are a tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion located in central Veracruz, Mexico. They cover an area of . The dry climate is a result of the rain shadow created by the Sierra de Chiconquiaco. The forests receive...
, and Yucatán dry forests ecoregions. Its habitat extends from sea level to 1000 m (3,280.8 ft), averages 20 to 27 °C (68 to 80.6 F) in temperature, and receives a mean of 900 mm (35.4 in) of annual rainfall.
Uses
Texas Ebony is cultivated in xeriscapingXeriscaping
Xeriscaping and xerogardening refers to landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation...
for its dense foliage and fragrant flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s. It is also used in bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
.
Ecology
E. ebano is a hostHost (biology)
In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna...
plant for the catepillars of the Coyote Cloudywing (Achalarus toxeus
Achalarus toxeus
Achalarus toxeus, commonly known as the Coyote Cloudywing or Coyote Skipper, is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from Panama, north through Central America and Mexico to central Texas. Strays can be found up to southern Arizona.The wingspan is 42–50 mm. Adults are on wing...
) and Sphingicampa blanchardi. The seedpods host the bean weevil
Bean weevil
The bean weevils or seed beetles are a subfamily of beetles, now placed in the family Chrysomelidae, though they have historically been treated as a separate family. They are granivores, and typically infest various kinds of seeds or beans, living for most of their lives inside a single seed...
s Stator
Stator (genus)
Stator is a genus of Bruchinae. Most members of the genus specialize on legumes....
beali and S. limbatus. Despite the native range of Texas Ebony overlapping with that of the latter, S. limbatus only feeds upon it in locales where it is grown as an ornamental and is not native. E. ebano is also a preferred host of the epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
Bailey's Ball Moss (Tillandsia baileyi
Tillandsia baileyi
Tillandsia baileyi, commonly known as the Reflexed Airplant or Bailey's Ball Moss, is a species of bromeliad that is native to southern Texas in the United States and Tamaulipas in Mexico. It is found along the Gulf of Mexico from Kingsville, Texas to Tampico, Tamaulipas...
).