Condalia warnockii, Mexican Crucillo
Scientific Name: Condalia warnockii
Common Name: Mexican Crucillo
Also Called: Squaw-bush, Warnock Condalia, Warnock's Snakewood
Family: Rhamnaceae or Buckthorn Family
Synonyms: (Condalia spathulata)
Status: Native
Duration: Perennial
Size: 5 feet more or less (10 feet max.).
Growth Form: Shrub; slender thorny branches, very dense, branches ascending, often crooked; bark of branches dark gray.
Leaves: Green; leaves very numerous, crowded (3 - 10), small, spathulate leaves, petiole present, lower surface (abaxial) of leaf occupied by veins.
Flower Color: Yellow; pedicels commonly shorter than the fruit; fruit a small globose drupe, black or reddish-black,
Flowering Season: July to September; March to November in Texas.
Elevation: 2,500 to 5,000 feet.
Habitat Preferences: Common on dry mesas, bajadas, desert habitats; in Texas it grows in desert habitats in the Trans-Pecos to the Western Edwards Plateau.
Recorded Range: Condalia warnockii is relatively rare in the United States where it is limited in distribution to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Condalia warnockii var. kearneyana is found only in central and southern Arizona. It is also native to northern Mexico.
North America & US County Distribution Map for Condalia warnockii.
U.S. Weed Information: No information available.
Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: No information available.
Wetland Indicator: No information available.
Threatened/Endangered Information: No information available.
Arizona and New Mexico have 4 species of Condalia, California there is 1 species, Nevada and Utah have 0 and Texas has 5 species. All data is approximate and subject to taxonomic changes.
There are 2 varieties in Condalia warnockii;
Condalia warnockii var. kearneyana, Kearney's Snakewood (AZ)
Condalia warnockii var. warnockii, Warnock's Snakewood (NM, TX).
Comments: Arizona has 1 variety, Condalia warnockii var. kearneyana, Kearney's Snakewood. Mexican Crucillo provides excellent shelter for birds and small mammals and a food source as well.