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Beebrush

Aloysia gratissima

Other common name(s):

Whitebrush, Bee-brush, White-brush, Common Bee-brush, Privet Lippia

Family:

Verbenaceae (Verbena Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Chihuahuan Deserts, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Shrub

Height

6
to
12
ft.

Spread

6
to
8
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Forage, Nectar, Flowers

Wildlife Benefit

Browsers, Butterflies, Birds, Bees

Maintenance

All seasons: Protect from browsers. May be pruned into a hedge or small tree. May form a thicket of stems from the base. Blooms best in full sun. Early spring: May be cut back to promote flowering and bushier growth. Propagation: Softwood cuttings, Seed.

Comments

Blooms March-November. A fragrant, slender, erect shrub with squarish stems, light gray bark, and branches sometimes bearing sharp tips. Small leaves are usually in clusters along the stems. Flowers are small, white, and vanilla scented growing on spikes extending above the leaves. Blooms during warm months after rains. As the name beebush suggests, this is a honey plant. It also provides browse for wildlife.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ALGR2. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Aloysia+gratissima&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=23799&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 229. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=32132#null

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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