Leucophyllum compactum Gray
 
common name: Leucophilus Silver Sage, Bush Ash, Texas Ranger.
Scientific name: Leucophyllum compactum Gray
Synonym:
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Gender: Leucophyllum
Plant Type: Perennial
Origin: It is native to shrublands on limestone slopes, in the Chihuahuan Desert, in Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico.
 
Description:
AA medium-sized shrub, Leucoófilo has greyish, almost white leaves that require a lot of sun. It is a well-adapted plant that flowers almost all year round and can be planted in a pot or in the ground.
 
Under near-desert conditions, the Leucophilus is a semi-evergreen, dense, rounded shrub to 0.9 to 1.5 m. In an irrigated garden, it tends to be a more open plant, with 1.5 to 2.0 m. It has alternate leaves measuring 1.5 to 2.5 cm, oval with wavy margins and silvery pubescence. Tubular five-lobed flowers measuring 1.5 to 2.5 cm, which are born isolated in the axils of the leaves. The flowers appear after the summer showers, covering the plants in white, pink, lavender and purple or blue flowers, for a spectacular display over the course of a few weeks. 
 
Environment:
PIt can be grown in pots placed near entrances or isolated. Also a good choice for hedges, barriers or plant screens. It grows best in stony soils, but it is not picky about pH.
 
Flowering:
Fflowers purple or blue throughout most of the year.
 
Temperature:
AND a plant which resists down to -12 ºC. Plants can survive temperatures down to -15 ºC or lower, but eventually shed their leaves. They bloom best in warm, humid climates. 
 
Light:
DIt should be grown in full sun, but it can develop perfectly with just 4 to 6 hours of direct sun a day. 
 
Watering:
ANDThis type of plant, must have exceptionally well-drained soil. During the first few times it should be watered regularly until it is well established, then treat it like the desert plant it is. Overwatered plants will struggle to flower.
 
Fertilizing:
ANDThis species does not like fertilizers or manure and will be reluctant to flourish in soil that is too rich.
 
Advices:
APlants tend to disperse, becoming bare-legged as they age. To avoid this, keep the soil dry and lean and prune the tips to encourage branching with denser, more compact foliage. As the plant grows slowly, interventions of this nature do not require much frequency. 
 
It is a resistant plant, which can face droughts, frosts, strong winds, sea air, hungry animals and scorching heat and move on without major problems.