Common Name: American Beauty Berry Botanical name: Callicara ...

Common Name: Texas Mountain Laurel
Botanical Name: Sophora
secundiflora
Plant Type: Shrub, medium tree
Light Requirement: Sun/part shade
Water Requirement: Low
Heat/Drought Tolerance: High
Height: 15 - 25 feet
Width/Spacing: 5- 15 feet wide
Flower Color: Purple, fragrant
Blooming Period: Feb. March
Plant Form or Habit: Shrub, small tree
Foliage Color and Texture: Evergreen
Butterfly or bird attracter: Butterflies
Deer Resistant: Yes
Plant Use: Specimen shrub
Texas mountain laurel grows in
limestone soils in Central and
Southwest Texas and to 5000 feet in
the Chisos and Davis Mountains. This
slow growing evergreen may be grown as a medium to large shrub or trained to a single or multi-trunk
tree. The pinnate leaves with their lustrous, leathery upper surface provide year long beauty, enhanced in
mid-spring by the densely-flowered racemes of lavender or violet pea flowers having the scent of grape
Kool Aid. The black, somewhat constricted seedpods contain red to red-orange seeds which are
sometimes used in jewelry. Both seeds and flowers are quite poisonous and contain narcotic properties. In
zones colder than Zone 8, flowering is not reliable because of late freezes which damage the buds. Texas
mountain laurel is difficult to successfully transplant from the wild. Fortunately it is being produced by a
number of growers and is fairly available.
Texas Mountain Laurel is the symbol of native Texas plants. It grows well in good soil conditions but still
looks dark green and healthy when growing out of a rocky outcropping. This evergreen shrub tree can be
trimmed lightly and occasionally to form a denser shrub to screen a view. It can also be trimmed up into a
multi trunked tree form. It grows slowly but can reach to well over 20 feet in time. Provide no pruning and
care and Texas Mtn. Laurel will still form an attractive plant. Provide the plant with full sun to partial
shade and excellent drainage. Its only pest problem is the Genista caterpillars which occasionally will feed
on the plant's foliage but which may be easily controlled with an application or two of B.t. spray.
Source of data: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/sophorasecund.htm
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=sose3
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