TEXAS’ MOUNTAIN LAUREL –
A TRUE TEXAS BEAUTY
It must be March—the questions about the purple-blue
blooms hanging in clusters and having the wonderful scent of
grape chewing gum have begun!! People are once again enjoying
the large evergreen shrub that grows all over South/Central
Texas and is referred to as the Texas Mountain Laurel. The scientific
name of the Texas Mt. Laurel is Sophora secundiflora. The genus
name, Sophora, is from the Arabic name, Sophero, and the species
name, secundiflora, refers to the one-sided inflorescence. Other
vernacular names are the Mescal Bean, Frigolito, Frijollito,
Frijolillo, Coral Bean, Big-Drunk Bean, and Colorin. The Mt.
Laurel is practically indestructible as a landscape plant. It
will survive in our poor alkaline soils. The plant is native
to the limestone soils in central, southern, and western Texas,
New Mexico, and northern Mexico. It is not the same Mt. Laurel
found in the Eastern United States–that species will not
survive in our area of Texas and our Texas Mt. Laurel does poorly
in those “foreign” areas.
Nothing seems to bother the hardy, drought-tolerant, grow-in-a-stone
Mt. Laurel. Hard freezes (below 20 degrees F.) eliminate blooms
but won't kill the plants. These natives seem resistant to the
dreaded cotton root rot fungus which is deadly to 90 percent
of all other Texas landscape plants. No foliage disease bothers
the glossy, evergreen leaves. Every now and then foliage worms
may devour some leaves but the plant comes right back. Because
the Mt. Laurel is an evergreen shrub or tree which can be 8
to 12 feet tall or taller (30 feet), this may be the ideal privacy
plant for this area of Texas. What other evergreen is so durable
and adapted- None! Plus this native plant blooms in the spring!
These beautiful plants are the answer to many of this area's
most serious plant problems. In the past, this outstanding landscape
plant was only available as balled-and-burlapped (B-and-B) plants
in the nurseries. Large B-and-B trees and shrubs dug from the
wild are very expensive because of the tremendous amount of
labor involved in digging the plant, burlapping it and hauling
it. The newly dug B-and-B Mt. Laurels must then be cured (stood
in a location to see if the plant decides to live or die) for
3 months until sprouting occurs.
As many as 50 percent of all Mt. Laurels dug do not survive
this process. It is no wonder that your cost for a 4 to 8 foot,
multi-trunk Mt. Laurel may be over $300! Because of some innovative
work in propagating native plants of Texas by Lone Star Growers
in San Antonio, Mt. Laurels are now available as container-grown
plants and are very affordable. For years these plants were
described as "slow growing" and impossible to grow
economically in containers. Modern technology and persistence
have paid off. Large, containerized plants are currently available
in local nurseries. Plants 3 to 4 feet tall in five-gallon containers
cost less than $25 each. Smaller plants one to two feet tall
in one-gallon containers cost less than $7. As the plants begin
to flower and the demand for this beautiful well-adapted plant
increases, some nurseries actually sale the small plants for
less than $3 and the larger plants for less than $17.
With the availability of inexpensive containerized Mt. Laurel's,
you can use these evergreen, blooming plants for creating a
privacy hedge or shrub mass. Every good landscape in this area
should now contain several Mt. Laurels. To plant these containerized
plants, simply dig the hole as wide but no deeper than the container.
Use the soil pulled out of the hole to fill in around the plant
or as your back-fill soil. Make a circular dam around the hole
(this makes watering easier). Water in thoroughly after transplanting
to settle the soil around the root system.
Now you know the prices of the plant sizes and you know how
to plant the size you purchase but, do you know which size to
purchase. To determine this for your landscape, you simply dig
the holes for the plants BEFORE you go to the nursery to purchase
the plants. Sounds simple, doesn’t it. This is the BEST
advice you will ever get for planting trees and shrubs in this
area of Texas. When planting a hedge or shrub mass, space the
5-gallon plants 5 to 6 feet apart and the one-gallon plants
3 feet apart. The gallon-size plants require a hole 12 inches
deep; the 5-gallon size requires hole at least twice that deep.
After you realize you can only dig 6 inches deep in your landscape
and you will have to blast to go any deeper, you will quickly
decide to buy the gallon-size plants. You can dig as deep as
you can, even if that is 4-6 inches and then cover the remainder
of the root ball or system with potting mix or purchased soil.
Believe it or not, this is the BEST way to plant Mt. Laurel
because it grows as a native in rocks and is only killed by
planting in an area which has poor drainage. The persistent,
shiny leaves of the Texas Mt. Laurel give a lustrous effect
when seen in dense masses as you drive through the rocky, Hillcountry
around Leaky, Campwood and Rocksprings in April. Be careful
not to water these newly planted plants too much. They need
only moderate watering. Check for moisture by digging with your
finger around the base of the plants - if moist, don't water
or you will rot the roots.
The plant is picturesque at any age. When barely more than a
twig the plant bears fragrant, 8-inch long, violet-blue (there
is also a rare white form) clusters of pea-shaped flowers early
in spring. Decorative, woody, silver-gray pods follow and split
open in late summer to reveal bright red beans (frijolitos).
They are poisonous, but their outer coat is so hard it is believed
they will pass through the digestive system without harm. I
was infatuated by the name "Big-Drunk Bean." It seems
that the bean of the Texas Mt. Laurel contains a hallucinogen
chemical (cytisine). In the old days Indians used to crush some
beans, mix with liquors, and have some real far-out parties.
However, since the beans can be poisonous, moderation was the
key to survival. Too many beans in the brew resulted in dead
party goers. There was a fine line between drunk and dead.
These red beans were prized by Indians. In fact, Indians believed
that a necklace of Mt. Laurel Beans presented as a gift to someone
would protect that person from bodily harm. The red beans were
so valued as an ornament that they were actually used as Indian
currency. The redder the beans, the higher the currency value.
Of course, Texans for years have enjoyed using these red beans
to “burn your buddy”. Bored, resourceful children
trying to create a bit of excitement would rub a red Mt. Laurel
bean on the sidewalk until the friction would cause the tough
skin of the bean to become burning hot. The troublemaker would
then drop the hot bean down the britches, down the shirt or
simply touch the tender skin of the intended victim to get an
immediate and loud response. This used to be fun in the “good
old days” but I should warn you old timers that schools
have zero tolerances for bringing drugs to the campus and the
Mt. Laurel bean IS CONSIDERED A DRUG. So instead of your child
being amused by getting to “burn his buddy”, you
WILL NOT find it amusing when your child is suspended for drug
possession at school. This has happened several times in Texas
so burners beware!
So there you have the story of a native Texas plant with the
inappropriate name of Mountain Laurel making it big in landscapes.
Enjoy the fragrance and enjoy the beauty of a Texas Mountain
Laurel in your landscape. And DON’T be trying to get the
recipe perfected–this plant is for beautifying the landscape–not
sending you into a drugged state of euphoria.