The flower heads are bright white against the shiny dark green leaves, the blue-black fruits are attractive and loved by birds, and the fall color is a glorious red, purple, orange, yellow. It will be bushier and thicker if grown in full sun, but makes a fine understory tree as well. Most well drained soil. The bark on this tree peels off in long strips and is used by birds for nest-building. The foliage is aromatic and dark green.
Female trees cover themselves in blue-green berries, giving the whole tree a bluish cast.
They are extremely drought tolerant, often growing out of what appears to be solid limestone. These are the trees near which the Texas madrone prefers to grow. In addition, the cedar sage and zexmenia grow exceptionally well in the needles of these majestic trees. They are immune to cedar-apple rust. Most well drained soil.