Texas Mountain Laurel Sophora secundiflora
An ornamental evergreen Texas native with beautiful purple flowers in the early spring. Grows slowly as a shrub but can be trained into a multi-trunk tree form over time. A versatile addition to the landscape with many uses from focal point to understory planting to screening or evergreen backdrop. Attracts butterflies, pollinators, and birds. Note: bright red seeds are poisonous.
Size: 10-30' tall x 7-12' wide
Growing Requirements
Full Sun, Part Shade, Light Shade, Shade
Best blooming in full sun but can still do well in the shade. Adaptable to soil types but provide good drainage. Tolerates heat and drought once established. Cold hardy to 10-20°F.
Culture & Care
Prune before spring blooming as blossoms form on year-old wood. Remove dead and damaged limbs. To shape into a multi-stemmed tree, remove no more than one third of the plant at time, snipping suckers as they appear.
Apply organic fertilizer in spring, just before new growth for improved blooming. Fertilize again occasionally with compost tea for increased growth. During periods of drought, water deeply every 5-6 weeks. Avoid over-watering, especially in colder weather.
Troubleshooting
The native genista broom moth caterpillars (Uresiphita reversalis), also known as the Sophora worm, likes to munch on the tender new growth of its host plant.They will form a loose webbing on the branch tips. Remove by handpicking or snipping infested tips as soon as you see them, or spray with high-pressure water. Large numbers can defoliate a plant but damage is usually just cosmetic, so the easiest solution is to just tolerate their presence as part of the food web.
Stressed and over-watered plants are most likely to suffer damage. Decrease watering once established and ensure the plant has good drainage.
A late freeze in spring can damage buds and prevent flowering that year. An especially hard North Texas winter can kill unprotected plants.
Reference
Native Texas Plants byLandscaping with Native Plants of Texas by
Native Plant Society of Texas
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database
Genista Caterpillar on Texas Mountain Laurel – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
