<a href="https://imgur.com/18L8St4"><img src="" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Cedar Elm?

wild olive maybe

Texas Madrone maybe?

Thanks for the replies Ags.
This West Texas tree is only about 15' tall so don't think it could be a Cedar Elm.
The Wild Olive is not freeze tolerant so don't think this would be the choice.
The Texas Madrone occurs in the Trans-Pecos but I have not seen any yellow orange or bright red berries and the trunk is very rough so not sure if this could be the choice.

This is an old unique tree that I found last weekend while we were working at the ranch. I had a friend driving me for a change in his Ranger and I spotted it about 50' off the road. I have seen Texas Mountain Laurels in various locations over the years and thought this might be another but now I am not sure what we have.

TXTebone said:

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Thanks for the replies Ags.
This West Texas tree is only about 15' tall so don't think it could be a Cedar Elm.
The Wild Olive is not freeze tolerant so don't think this would be the choice.
The Texas Madrone occurs in the Trans-Pecos but I have not seen any yellow orange or bright red berries and the trunk is very rough so not sure if this could be the choice.

This is an old unique tree that I found last weekend while we were working at the ranch. I had a friend driving me for a change in his Ranger and I spotted it about 50' off the road. I have seen Texas Mountain Laurels in various locations over the years and thought this might be another but now I am not sure what we have.

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Its leaves look like a mountain laurel, but I have only seen them in the Great Smoky Mtns in TN and NC. I did not know they grew in west Texas.

Texas Mountain Laurels are very popular in landscaping primarily in the Texas Hill Country.

Beautiful tree!

Some kind of Pepper Tree maybe?

Any chance it's a rhus growing in a juniper stump?

I will try to get a magnified pic to post. As I recall there were very small white pearl looking berries in small groups throughout the tree. Not sure that would help in the identification.

I second evergreen sumac. It screamed sumac as soon as I looked at it.

Yep

https://rangeplants.tamu.edu/plant/evergreen-sumac/

Here is magnified pic for better identification ?[img]<a href=[/img]

OK I did a little research on the National Champ Evergreen Sumac:
34' crown circumference
16' tall
17' crown spread
54 points total.

https://www.americanforests.org/big-trees/evergreen-sumac-rhus-virens/

I think TXTebone's tree can give the champ a run for its money:

Definitely not me in that picture, btw.

Thanks for the information, Apache. Next trip out west I will pull out my tape and check the Evergreen Sumac. It is truly one of the senior citizens of the brush community at the ranch and I am very proud of it.

Wow awesome tree. I'd be surprised if it isn't the new state champion evergreen sumac.

Definitely an Aoudad tree