Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Tree
Origin
North America, United States, Western United States, Southwestern United States, Mexico
Southeastern United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Types
Grasses
Guaiacum officinale
Number of Varieties
13
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas
Coastal Regions, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Thickets, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
3-910-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9 - 5
12-10
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21
H1, H2
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
45.70 cm300.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm370.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White hair and some brown spots on margins and at tips
Purple, Violet, Blue Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Yellow, Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Gray Green
Green, Olive
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Green, Olive
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan
Olive
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Egg-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Slow
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Summer, Late Summer
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Divison, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Consistently
In Spring
Moderate
Average Water
In Winter
Average Water
Moderate
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune to stimulate growth
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Fertilize three times a year
Pests and Diseases
Beetles, Grasshoppers
fungus, Mealybugs, Scale, Spider mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Salt
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
-
Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Erosion control
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Cuts
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Bark, Sap
Other Uses
Used to feed livestock
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Botanical Name
BOUTELOUA gracilis
GUAIACUM sanctum
Common Name
Blue Grama Grass, Mosquito Grass
Holy-wood, Lignum Vitae
In Hindi
Bouteloua gracilis
Lignum Vitae
In German
Bouteloua Gracilis
Lignum Vitae
In French
Bouteloua aristidoides
Lignum Vitae
In Spanish
Chondrosum gracile
Palo santo
In Greek
Bouteloua gracilis
Lignum Vitae
In Portuguese
Bouteloua Gracilis
pau-santo
In Polish
Bouteloua Gracilis
Lignum Vitae
In Latin
Bouteloua Gracilis
lignum Vitae
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Sapindales
Family
Poaceae
Zygophyllaceae
Genus
Bouteloua
Guaiacum
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
-
Tribe
Cynodonteae
-
Subfamily
Chloridoideae
-
Number of Species
1003
1
27800
👆🏻