About the Gumdrop Tree

• Like other members of the buckthorn family, the most distinctive feature of the gumdrop tree is its thorns. The shrub's rigid, tangled stems are covered with sharp, 3-inch spines. Small, oval leaves drop early, leaving the shrub leafless for long periods and exposing the gray bark that gives the shrub another of its common names, graythorn. Small, greenish-white flowers appear in spring and summer and are followed by round, bluish-black fruit. The fruit is edible but bland and mealy. Gumdrop trees grow 6 to 9 feet tall and almost as wide. Older reference books may list the shrub by its previous botanical names, Condalia lycioides and C. obtusifolia.
  
  

Native Range

• The gumdrop tree, also called lotebush, is native to the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico. In the United States, it's widespread in Texas and New Mexico. It's found less commonly in Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and southern California. You'll find lotebush growing on dry, rocky hills and in the desert.
  
  

Cultural Requirements

• The gumdrop tree grows best in locations that mimic its native desert range. The shrub requires full sun and well-drained soil. It's adaptable to many soil types, is drought tolerant and thrives in areas with scorching summer temperatures. Lotebush is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 7 through 11.
  
  

Uses

• Because of its vicious thorns and long periods of leaflessness, the gumdrop tree isn't a shrub you'd plant in your home landscape. In its native range, however, it's a useful plant. Wildlife graze on the leaves and berries and use the plant for nesting and cover. White-winged doves and Gambel's quail are especially fond of the fruit. The roots and bark are used as a substitute for soap in Mexico.