VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Arbutus texana | Texas Madrone 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Wood of Texas madrone is reddish-brown, hard, heavy, and close grained
[26].  Sapwood is light in color.  The wood is easily worked and
colorful [16] and reportedly has some commercial value [25].  It has
been used to make tool handles, rollers, fuel, and charcoal for gun
powder [26].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Texas madrone is utilized by both livestock and wildlife [23].  Small
plants with accessible foliage are lightly browsed by cattle [12,26].
Use by domestic goats may be heavy in some areas [19,26].  The sweet
fruit of Texas madrone is eaten by many species of birds [19,26].


PALATABILITY : 
Browse of Texas madrone is at least somewhat palatable to cattle and
highly palatable to domestic goats [26].  Berries are palatable to many
species of birds [19].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
Texas madrone presumably provides shade and cover for a variety of
wildlife species.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Texas madrone can be propagated by cutting, layering, or budding
[26,31].  Plants can also be grown from seed, although light and soil
moisture requirements are exacting [12,27,28,31].  After more than 10
years of experimentation, only 2 of 10,000 seeds planted in carefully
controlled greenhouse conditions actually germinated and became
established [12,31].  Fortunately, newly developed laboratory techniques
have greatly improved seedling survival rates [27,28,31] [see
Regeneration].  Researchers recommend selecting seeds carefully, using
sterilized soil and distilled or deionized water, supplementing natural
sunlight with artificial light to extend daylength, and carefully
controlling fungus [12].  Seedlings should never be exposed to direct
sunlight until well conditioned.  Details on seed handling and planting
techniques are available [12,27,28,31].  Texas madrone is difficult to
transplant [12].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Texas madrone can be grown as an ornamental and is occasionally used in
landscaping [19].  The attractive leaves and flowers make it well suited
for individual or mixed plantings [23].  The leaves and bark are
astringent and are used medicinally in parts of Mexico [26].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Grazing:  Texas madrone is becoming increasingly rare.  Older, larger
trees are dying, and few seedlings and young trees exist [23].
Seedlings are particularly rare wherever livestock are present [12],
presumably because of the combined effects of browsing and trampling.
Managers interested in preserving this unique species may wish to
protect the few locations in which seedlings have been found.

Damage/disease: Many insects, including the European bark beetle, attack
Texas madrone [9].  This plant is also susceptible to a condition in
which large limbs turn black and the foliage soon dies [12].  The causal
agent has not been identified.

Fertilizer:  Heavy applications of fertilizer can kill Texas madrone by
drawing water from the roots [31].

Related categories for Species: Arbutus texana | Texas Madrone