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.

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Tuesday - April 01, 2003

From: Hondo, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification, Trees
Title: How common is white blooming Mountain Laurel
Answered by: Stephen Brueggerhoff

QUESTION:

Is white blooming Mountain Laurel common?

ANSWER:

There are several species of Mountain Laurel that occur in your range: Sophora secundiflora, common name Texas Mountain Laurel, and Sophora affinis, common name Eve's Necklace. Eve's necklace produces a string of pink to whitish blossoms, and could be the plant in question. There is also a yellow-flowering species (Sophora tomentosa), but this may be out of your range. Proper identification is the key to determining taxonomic attribution. You can access information provided by our our Native Plants Database, a service of our Native Plant Information Network, to help with identifying the range, growth form and pictures for quick comparison of S. secundiflora and S. affinis.

From the Image Gallery

Texas mountain laurel
Sophora secundiflora