lignum-vitae Zygophyllaceae Guaiacum officinale

Leaf:Opposite, pinnately compound, evergreen and leathery, to 4 inches long, with 6 to 8 pairs of oval to round sessile leaflets, yellow-green to dark green above and below.
Flower:Attractive, 1/2 inch across, purple-blue eventually fading to white, 5 broad petals, occur in small clusters from leaf axils, appearing in spring to early summer.
Fruit:A 5-parted yellow rounded 1/2 tp 3/4-inch capsule that opens to reveal shiny red seeds.
Twig:Slender, gray-brown with numerous short, knotty shoots.
Bark:Initially gray-brown and smooth, becoming darker and rough with age.
Form:A dense, multi-branched, crooked limbed shrub or small tree up to 30 feet tall with a spreading and dense crown.

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