Pronounciation: Zye-LOS-ma con-GES-a

Hardiness zones
Sunset 8-24
USDA 9-11

Landscape Use: Large foundation or background, informal hedge, filler, small multiple-trunk tree, mesic landscape design themes.

Form & Character: Upright and rounded shrub, clean, bright and colorful in appearance, tropical.

Growth Habit: Semi-evergreen to evergreen, woody, broadleaf perennial shrub, moderate growth rate (slow for dwarf cultivar) to 5- to 25-feet tall with equal or greater spread.

Foliage/Texture: Glabrous, serrate, light green, ovate leaves tapering to an acuminate tip, new foliage reddish, bronze to copper, occasional stipular spines; medium texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Profuse, axillary, greenish yellow "pin cushion" flowers on older plants in October/November, rather subtle, fruit inconspicuous.

Seasonal Color: New foliage......in other words not much.

Temperature: Hardy to 20^oF, colder winter weather will induce deciduous habit.

Light: Full sun to nearly full shade. Eastern and northern exposures best in Phoenix.

Soil: Well-drained soil is desirable. This plant is salt sensitive and thus will invariably have leaf tip necrosis in Phoenix.

Watering: Regular irrigations are imperative in Phoenix.

Pruning: Prune for desired effect or size....or leave informal and large. Shiny xylosma can be pruned severely to regenerate.

Propagation: Cuttings are difficult to root and root development of rooted cuttings as young nursery stock can be weak.

Disease and pests: Somewhat susceptible to Texas root rot.

Additional comments: Shiny xylosma is an 'old school', dependable, larger filler plant for large mesic landscapes. The dwarf cultivar 'Compacta' is one half the size and is preferred for smaller landscape spaces.

Historical Perspectives: Shiny xylosma is a landscape plant that was more common in Phoenix landscapes during the 1950s to 1980s, but has since faded away into obscurity with the advent of desert landscaping and the recent popularity of desert-adapted and desert-native plants. Frankly, in today's 21^st century era of landscape sustainability shiny xylosma has become another one of those landscape 'period pieces'.