Meet the Texas Mountain Laurel
Texas Mountain Laurel | Dermatophyllum secundiflorum
How do you know it’s me?:
I am a large evergreen shrub or small tree.
My compound leaves are thick and leathery, usually with 7-9 leaflets with rounded ends. They are usually glossy and green, but some varieties (like the one photographed) are silvery with a layer of fine fuzz.
I have purple flowers that hang in drooping clusters. They are very fragrant - often compared to an artificial grape scent, or Kool-Aid!
My flowers are similar to others in the pea family, with an upright “banner” petal atop a cluster of more puffy petals.
After flowering, I produce a felt-covered, semi-woody pod with bright red seeds. Beware! these seeds are poisonous.
My bark is brown and furrowed.
How big do I grow?: 12’ - 30’ height and 6’ - 15’ spread.
Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Full sun to part shade.
Where I prefer to put my roots: I am very drought tolerant, and prefer rocky or sandy limestone soils.
Hardiness: Zone 8-11.
Original home: I am native to Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico.
Colors: Purple flowers.
When I bloom: Late winter to early spring.
Wildlife friends: Butterflies and bees enjoy my blooms.
Flora Fun Facts: My bright red beans were used by indigenous people for jewelry making and other ornamentation, as well as in ceremonial use.
More Info: A purple-flowered plant with a purple smell, the Texas Mountain Laurel is an attention-grabber. It’s wisteria-like blooms hang from the tree in fragrant clusters, often alive with pollinator activity.
A member of the Fabaceae (Pea) family.
Also called the Mescal Bean, Frijolillo, or Frijolito.
The beans/seeds contain cytisine, a highly poisonous substance. They have also been used to topically treat ear aches.
This is a beautiful ornamental that would shine as a specimen plant, in a pollinator garden, or in a large planter.
It can be lightly pruned into a border planting or privacy hedge or to keep in a shrub form. Pruning can also help this plant establish more of a tree shape, as it tends to grow upright.
