Cox, Paul
Styphnolobium affine (Torr. & Gray) Walp.
Eve’s necklace, Eve's necklacepod, Texas sophora
Fabaceae (Pea Family)
Eves necklace, a 15-30 ft., spineless
shrub or
tree, bears light-green, graceful leaflets and fragrant, pink, wisteria-like blooms. A tall
shrub or small
tree with thin, scaly, reddish brown
bark on older wood and with smooth twigs.
On limestone slopes, in valley bottoms, and on soils underlain with limestone in upland situations. Seeds reputed to be poisonous. Leaves divided into 6 to 8 pairs of leaflets and a terminal one on an axis up to 9 inches long, leaflets
elliptic to
oval, averaging an inch long, with a rounded, indented, or pointed tip, smooth margins, and a rounded or tapered base. Flowers fragrant, white tinged with rose, 1/2 inch long, arranged along axes up to 6 inches long, appearing in March and April.
Fruit a long, rounded
pod, constricted between the seeds, often with only 1 or a few seeds, the swollen part of the
pod black, and the constrictions covered with gray hairs.
Sophora is from the Arabic name of a
tree with pea-shaped flowers.
Image Gallery:
46 photo(s) available
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: White , Pink
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May
Distribution
USA: AR , LA , OK , TX
Native Distribution: OK, AR, LA & n.c. & c. TX
Native Habitat: Roadsides, Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannahs, Open woodlands
USDA Native Status: L48(N) Growing Conditions
Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Well-drained soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Limestone-based.
Conditions Comments: Eves necklace is so named because this
tree blooms clustered pink flowers that mature into black, bead-like strings of seeds. The planting site must be well-drained or it will get chlorotic. It grows from seed to 6 ft. in 3 years. This plant is most attractive when grown alone, as it becomes spindly in competition from larger plants. The flowers and seeds ar poisonous.
Benefit
Use Ornamental: Aromatic, Attractive, Blooms ornamental, Fruits ornamental, Accent
shrub, Showy, Accent
tree or
shrub Use Wildlife: Flowers attact bees. Nesting site, Cover, Browse, Nectar-insects
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Deer Resistant: Moderate
2011-06-22
