Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
14 ratings

Sunday - August 03, 2008

From: Arroyo Grande, CA
Region: California
Topic: Invasive Plants, Non-Natives, Pruning, Shrubs
Title: Pruning of Grape Kool Aid Plant in California
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have a Grape Kool Aid plant and was told it would grow to 6 or 7 feet tall, but it is well over that and I need to know if I can prune it and if so how?

ANSWER:

Is this a test? Is somebody out there trying to trick Mr. Smarty Plants into making a mistake? Well, it's not hard, but maybe we dodged the bullet this time. Turns out there are two plants referred to as Grape Kool Aid Plant, one native to Texas and New Mexico and one to Africa.

Our first thought was that you were referring to Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain-laurel. The flowers of this tree (see pictures below) are said to smell like grape Kool-Aid. Personally, we never stick our nose into flowers pollinated by bees, but that's what we're told. At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center we are devoted to plants native to North America, and planted in the area to which they are native, because they are accustomed to the conditions and will require less water, fertilizer and maintenance. The Texas mountain laurel is basically a desert tree, a legume with very poisonous seeds but absolutely beautiful in the blooming season of February and March. A member of the Fabaceae (pea) family, it is native to the Texas Hill Country and is often found growing among granite rocks. We did find indications that it is being grown in California, but found no information on pruning it. Ordinarily, pruning for shape and to remove damaged limbs would be about the limit. Dispose of prunings carefully, as all parts of the plant are poisonous. We always recommend pruning during the dormant season, mid-winter in California.

On the other hand, we suspect that you may have Psoralea pinnata in your garden. This is a native of Africa, also a member of the Fabaceae family, which blooms in Spring and again in late Summer. It grows 8 to 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide. The flowers also are purple and smell grapey, so maybe it's the color, who knows? Again, we found no information on pruning, but would still recommend pruning for shape. It is a short-lived tree but is prolific in seedlings and suckers. It is, in fact, classified as an invasive in Australia, so that might be a risk in California which is such a good place to grow, invasives love it. Again, prune in mid-winter. 

Probably the only way you can be sure which plant you are dealing with is the leaves. On this page of images of Psoralea pinnata, you can see that the foliage is needlelike, although we understand it is soft and non-allergenic. In contrast, as you can see from the pictures below, the foliage on the Texas mountain laurel has shiny, leathery compound leaves made of 7-9 leaflets that are rounded at the ends.


Sophora secundiflora

Sophora secundiflora

Sophora secundiflora

Sophora secundiflora

 

 

 

 

More Non-Natives Questions

Replacing non-native Paulonia tomentosa in North Carolina
June 25, 2009 - What could I plant in my Winston-Salem, N.C., yard in place of the paulownia tomentosa which is there now (it was NOT something I put there; I only figured out what it was a couple of years ago -- I g...
view the full question and answer

Problems with non-native parsley from Brooklyn NY
June 17, 2012 - Had beautiful flat leaf parsley plants recently turn yellow & die. Found black armadillo like bugs bored throughout the roots. Now they're spreading. How do I kill them without contaminating the pla...
view the full question and answer

White specks on unknown houseplant from Ridgeway SC
June 20, 2013 - I have an unknown houseplant that seems to have some sort of pest or disease on it. It has white snowy specks atop its leaf. I bought this purple fuzzy leafed houseplant from Walmart in Winnsboro, SC ...
view the full question and answer

Sheet mulching before planting Habiturf from Grand Prairie, TX
March 03, 2014 - Have you tried sheet mulching as a bed prep and to kill bermuda grass before planting habituff?
view the full question and answer

Obtaining bark of Larix laricina from Hyderabad India
January 26, 2012 - I am in need of Larix laricina (Bark) for my research work. Please let me know how to procure it.
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.