Native Plants

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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Monday - May 25, 2015
From: Shreveport, LA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Poisonous Plants, Shrubs
Title: Is Texas mountain laurel honey toxic?
Answered by: Guy Thompson
QUESTION:
I have been told that honey produced from the flowers of my Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora) would not be safe to consume. Is this correct? The only information I have been able to find is that the flowers and seed pods are toxic to children and pets. Seems there are several plants that are called by the common name of Texas Mountain Laurel. How safe is the Sophora secundiflora? It is planted near my herb garden, should I not use the herbs that grow under it?ANSWER:
It has been reported that Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain laurel) honey is toxic. I attach the answer to a previous Mr. Smarty Plants question:
The notion that honey bees can transfer toxic substances from flowers to their honey is a new one for Mr. Smarty Plants. However, I’ve copied a portion of an article from Wikipedia that gives some examples of this. Scroll down to 11.2 in the Table of Contents.
11.2 Toxic Honey;
Main article: Bees and toxic chemicals#Toxic honey
Honey produced from flowers of oleanders, rhododendrons, mountain laurels, sheep laurel, and azaleas may cause honey intoxication. Symptoms include dizziness, weakness, excessive perspiration, nausea, and vomiting. Less commonly, low blood pressure, shock, heart rhythm irregularities, and convulsions may occur, with rare cases resulting in death. Honey intoxication is more likely when using "natural" unprocessed honey and honey from farmers who may have a small number of hives. Commercial processing, with pooling of honey from numerous sources, claims it dilutes any toxins but these findings are not verifiable.
The mountain laurel mentioned is Kalmia latifolia (Mountain laurel) which grows from Louisiana to the East Coast, and is more toxic than our Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain laurel).
This link to foodsafteysite.com identifies the toxin as grayanotoxin which is found in Kalmia latifolia, but not Sophora secundiflora. It also makes the point that you should know the source of the honey and consume only processed honey, avoiding honey from farmers with only a few hives.
More Shrubs Questions
Transplanting Tecoma stans in Texas
October 26, 2008 - I have a pair of Tecoma stans planted too near the house. They're in shade most of the day. The branches that can reach a little sun are blooming nicely. Would they survive being transplanted fart...
view the full question and answer
How to Care for a Yucca after Blooming
September 13, 2014 - We just moved into our home and there was an existing yucca plant in the yard and it had bloomed. There was some kind of vine growing in and around it. We tried to clean out the vine but I noticed a l...
view the full question and answer
Use of cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens) for tea
February 20, 2006 - Back in the 50's when I spent the summers with my grandmother south of Hondo, Texas, she use to pick leaves from the cenizo (purple sage) bushes, dry them and then brew them for tea. I asked one of m...
view the full question and answer
Fence Shrub for Sugarland, TX
June 08, 2015 - Hello
I live in Sugar Land TX, I am looking for a fast growing shrub to plant along my six foot wood fence for a privacy screen. There is not a lot of room for them to grow in width but there is pl...
view the full question and answer
Junipers for restoring area in Bulverde TX
November 03, 2012 - Are ashe or virginiana junipers for sale around the hill country? I would like to recreate the natural plant life that was bulldozed next to my home. Do you recommend any other types of juniper that ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |