Bloomipedia
Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa)
Photo: Trey Philips via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Mexican buckeye

Ungnadia speciosa

Native to Texas

Mexican buckeye is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in March–April.

2states
9,776TX sightings*
10,077U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Texas

Quick look

Ungnadia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae, containing one species, Ungnadia speciosa, commonly known as the Mexican buckeye. It is native to northern Mexico, as well as Texas and southern New Mexico in the United States.

  • It belongs to the Sapindaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Texas. NatureServe
  • In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 9,776 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #56 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist

Mexican buckeye gift ideas

Handmade mexican buckeye gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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    Mexican buckeye art print

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    Mexican buckeye greeting card

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    Mexican buckeye mug

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    Mexican buckeye earrings

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    Mexican buckeye embroidery pattern

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    Mexican buckeye sticker

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When does it bloom?

In Texas, most flowering sightings come in March–April.

Flowering records by month in Texas (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (444 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
Texas
Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
Rare elsewhere
No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records Mexican buckeye in 2 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

New Mexico, Texas.

Texas counties with USDA records: Aransas, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brewster, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Coleman, Comal, Crockett, Culberson, Dallas, El Paso, Ellis, Garza, Grimes, Harris, Hays, Hudspeth, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, Limestone, Llano, Marion, McLennan, Medina, Palo Pinto, Pecos, Presidio, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Tom Green, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Williamson, Zavala.

More Texas flowers

Western soapberry (Sapindus drummondii)

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Pinkladies (Oenothera speciosa)

Pinkladies

Oenothera speciosa

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🌼 Blooms in TX: March–May
Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)

Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

★ OK state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in TX: March–July

Sources