Sophora Species, Texas Mountain Laurel, Mescal Bean

On Sep 1, 2021, UtahTropics12 from Salt Lake City, UT (Zone 7b) wrote:

I have had GREAT success with Texas Mountain Laurel here in Salt Lake City, Utah (zone 7b). I’ve had it in a sheltered south facing court yard for going on 10 years now! I purchased this plant in Phoenix, and was very curious to see how it would fare here further north. It has stayed completely evergreen and has suffered basically NO DAMAGE even in our toughest winters at 5 F. It has even taken snow like a complete champ! The blooms are so intoxicatingly good smelling it’s ridiculous, it smells like pure grape soda ( A good grape soda). I have been so very pleased with this beautiful desert tree! It has gained some serious height and blooms every single year, even after brutal winters. This is a PERFECT tree for the desert south west!

On Oct 7, 2016, terrencecox from Green Valley, AZ wrote:

I started two of these plants two years ago in containers. The seeds were germinated without nicking, but did soak the seeds. They were growing slowly, but leaved out pretty well with about twenty leaves each. This summer caterpillars of the giant swallowtail butterfly ate parts of both plants. There were about 1/2 doz. cats altogether. I'll probably start a couple/few of these plants each year just for these butterflies. Eventually I might plant one or more in the ground.

On Mar 27, 2014, nbaltz from Phoenix, AZ (Zone 9a) wrote:

Probably one of my favorite shrubs. It is slow growing, but can be pruned into a nicely shaped small tree given sufficient time. My plant thrives incredibly well planted next to a southwest facing block wall that receives punishing reflective heat during the Phoenix summer. It seems the hotter it is, the better this plant will grow. Stays evergreen throughout the year and from February-March its flowers produces a marvelous scent rivaled only by freesia. The Texas Mountain Laurel is a host plant for gentista broom moth caterpillars. In early spring and middle of the fall, the freshest growth is defoliated by these caterpillars which form a silk-like tent around the ends of the branches.

On Sep 2, 2011, Bronto from Scottsdale, AZ wrote:

Remarkable plant, 3 year established specimen withstood 116F Phoenix heat, near a hot masonry wall with midday sun. In this position it did require daily irrigation, and grew vigorously in spite of the cactus shriveling heat. Does not seem to drop leaves even in winter. Subject to a summer caterpillar which attacked the new growing leaves, treated with Sevin and physical removal of the pests.

On Apr 17, 2011, rkmontg342 from Sugar Land, TX wrote:

We have a huge Texas Mountain Laurel tree in our front yard. It blooms usually about the end of February into March. The bees have a ball. The birds enjoy its branches including the little hummers who rest there. The lawn service employees rest in its shade at lunch time. We have it stacked because the multi-trunks are leaning. Hurricane Ike hit and took the middle trunk which was not stacked. Now, from certain angles, it looks split down the middle from ground to top. We are hoping that space will eventually fill in with new branches. Meanwhile, we are having trouble finding a trustworthy tree company to come and look to see if the current stakes need to be replaced. Or, the trunks need more stakes. Overall, this is a great tree and makes it through drought and cold snaps.

On Jun 1, 2010, wormfood from Lecanto, FL (Zone 9a) wrote:

I went to transplant a 2" seedling from a small pot to the ground. The root was 8" long ! I planted the root as deep as it needed and it's doing very well.

On May 7, 2010, amscram from Baton Rouge, LA (Zone 8b) wrote:

I bought a little plant in Austin, TX 10 years ago and it's about 6 feet tall now. Sometimes it blooms (love the grape kool-aid scent!) and puts out beautiful lustrous green shoots; but then certain branches will die back during some, but not all years. I realize that it prefers the drier climate of Texas and is probably not all that happy here in humid South Louisiana, but it has hung in there!

On Jul 9, 2009, trackinsand from mid central, FL (Zone 9a) wrote:

i just got tired of waiting for this one to grow. i think it grew 3" in 2 yrs. and the citrus root weevils loved it so i dug it up. i had high hopes for this one but my expectations were too high-that grape kool-aid thing got to me!

On May 22, 2009, Pat107 from Cedar Park, TX wrote:

My husband and I live north of Austin Texas. We planted a our small Mountain Laurel about 3 yrs ago. Beware: this tree is a slow grower! We did not realize this when we planted it. If you are looking for a fast grower and for it to flower right away, you may want to choose something else. We truly enjoy the beauty of this tree and the blooms this year were gorgeous! I noticed the seed pods on ours for the first time this year. Knowing how slowly this tree grows, I think we will just buy another tree and much larger this time. I enjoyed reading everyones comments on this beautiful tree!

On Apr 15, 2009, ptkexpres from Rolla, MO (Zone 5b) wrote:

I grew this wonderful plant when I lived in Stephenville, TX and it delighted me when in bloom with the fragrance of grape Koolade. To my regret it is not hardy in zone 5 where I now live! :- (

On Apr 15, 2008, laura1234 from Menard, TX wrote:

we planted about 5 seeds per hole last year as we heard the seeds can be tricky (we didn't try soaking or nicking the first). several came up after a few weeks, much longer than other seeds, so be patient. all of the seedlings lasted through the winter, and it gets quite cold here--10F was the lowest.

now this spring, i had 3 more pop up in a space where a little one was already growing! which leads me to believe that the seeds aren't so hard to grow after all, you just have to be very, very patient with them. they seem to lie dormant for a long time if conditions aren't right for sprouting.

On Mar 2, 2007, Noeule from Houston, TX wrote:

My friend and I have tried several methods of spouting mature, dry Texas Mountain Laurel seeds that we collected while hunting wild hogs in Uvalde Texas. I will not bore you with all the methods that did not work. This is the one that works for me at least 90% of the time. This plant also grows wild on property we own near San Marcos TX.

1. Collect seeds from the ground below Mountain Laurel plants or harvest from mature pods.
2. Drill a hole through the eye (attachment points) of each seed toward the center using a dremel, fordum, or other power drill. Drill sufficiently to penetrate the meat of the seed – about 1-2 millimeter. I use a V shaped grinder bit rather than a wood bit. It takes considerable pressure to drill the holes. You will need a method of ho... read morelding the seeds steady for drilling. I place them in a line along the opening in the jaws of a vise opened about ¼ inch – not clamped in the vise.
3. Soak drilled seeds in warm water for 2 days. Just poor off and replace the water 2-3 times per day if you cannot keep the water warm. The seeds will swell to about double their original size.
4. Plant seeds in pots with pointed end pointing up on top of soil and cover with a half inch of sand. I suggest pots that are at least 5 inches deep. The roots will grow down quickly through the soil faster than the top grows up. Keep the plantings moist and warm until they are ready to transplant from the pots to your landscape.

Following the above method will produce seedlings about one inch tall in about 3-4 weeks.

On Feb 12, 2006, lp117 from Santa Maria, CA wrote:

We planted this over two years ago and finally this spring (Feb) it has blooms all over and finally showing some signs of life and growing new leaves! We are in central California!!

On Mar 14, 2005, aurora222 from Victoria, TX wrote:

My tree is in full bloom and I should have some seeds to share in about a month, if anyone is interested. Hopefully, you will be able to get them to sprout.

On Aug 10, 2004, Martha_Johnson from Lampasas, TX wrote:

I purchased four trees that had beautiful blooms full of fragrance from a nursery, and they are are doing really well. However, I found one with branches covered in webbing with caterpillers inside (gross!!!!).

I researched the caterpiller and found that they are Genista caterpillars...I sprayed with a pesticide and cut off the damaged foliage--hopefully I didn't kill my beautiful tree.

I really love my trees - I hate the pest not the tree!

On Jun 21, 2004, rntx22 from Puyallup, WA (Zone 8b) wrote:

I live in the Houston area & have admired a row of these trees in my neighbors yard for several years. Last spring I got curious took a seed pod. (Can't remember if it was on the ground or on the tree. It still had the soft velvety coat)

Not knowing what kind of tree it was or how to plant it, I just opened the shell, took out the seed, and plopped it in a small clay pot with regular potting soil and put it on the patio. No special treatments, that was all I did. Guess I got lucky because lo and behold, a few weeks later it sprouted!! By the end of the growing season last year, it was 6" tall & had 8 leaves. It pretty much stayed that way all winter, then this spring it had a nice growth spurt. Now it's about 8" tall, has 38 leaves, and the beginning of 7 little branche... read mores.

I got online today to find out what type of tree it is becasue I am worried that I'm not caring for it properly. It hasn't grown since early this spring (now I know that's typical for this tree) and the newer small leaves on top are starting to curl a bit.

On Mar 23, 2004, texasrose57 from Pipe Creek, TX wrote:

We live in the Texas Hill Country between San Antonio and Bandera. The mountain laurels grow wild and are absolutley beautiful this time of year. The majority are a deep purple with a few that are more lavender in color. Interestingly enough, I have 2 pure white trees behind our house. I have collected the beans underneath and will attempt to get them started but I have been unable to find any data regarding white mountain laurels.

On Mar 22, 2004, jperrault from San Antonio, TX (Zone 9a) wrote:

Something is eating the new leafs off the montain laurel and I'm wondering if I should put out slug bait or spray the tree.

On Mar 9, 2004, Pua from San Antonio, TX (Zone 9a) wrote:

A truly beautiful shrub. They make us smile when they come in in bloom at the nursery I work at in SA. Two tips to keep in mind when purchasing one:
l. If it's not in bloom, look for one with evidence that it has bloomed before. Otherwise you could have a long wait for this "mind of its own" bloomer.
2. Don't ever fertilize it.
Pua

On Jan 9, 2004, htop from San Antonio, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

An attractive tree that provides beautiful blooms and wonderful aroma when in bloom. It is usually a very slow grower, however. I read somewhere that you must have 2 mountain laurel trees near each other in order for them to bloom.

On Aug 2, 2003, dstartz from Deep South Texas, TX (Zone 9a) wrote:

The seeds for this plants must be collected while the pod is still green to be truly viable. Nick or deeply scar the seed coat; soak seed for approx. 24 hours. If the seed swells it will most probably germinate.

This plant dislikes being transplanted because of it's deep tap root, so use a DEEP container(i.e. 44 oz fountain drink cup) for starting seeds.

Seeds can take up to 6-8 months to germinate.

On Apr 29, 2003, coastcourt wrote:

Planted about 3 yrs ago about 3ft tall in a slightly sloped SW bed corner. Told by nursery not to expect blooms or much growth for years. Surprise! Its at least 10 ft tall and presented 3 handful size deep purple blooms in March. I'm waiting for the seeds to mature in the cluster and rattle. Problem: It has to be staked and I wonder if I shoud have trimed it. I don't know if it is shrub or tree catagory..Some branches are coming out from bottom.