The intoxicating fragrance of Texas mountain laurel is enough to cause drivers to slam on the brakes or dog walkers to abruptly stop short, giving poor Fido whiplash.
Famed TV chef Emeril Lagasse used to lament the non-invention of “smell-o-vision.” I wish for “smell-o-website” so I could share with you the heavenly scent produced by the pretty purple flowers of these shrubs.
Even better, this is one of those plants that disperses its aroma several feet; I can smell my neighbors’ plant’s blooms from across the street.
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Some compare the scent to grape Kool-Aid, soda, or gum, but the fragrance is deeper, richer, and more floral than the artificial aroma of processed food.
Read on to learn more!
What Is Texas Mountain Laurel?Texas mountain laurel’s glossy, dark green leaves are evergreen and leathery. The large clusters – as long as six inches – of showy flowers appear in early spring, and sadly, bloom for just a few weeks before withering and taking their scent away.
Though these slow-growing plants can be kept pruned to a shrub size, most often they are allowed to mature into small treelike forms 10 feet wide and 15 feet high, multi- or single-trunked.
Older specimens in their natural habitat can reach 30 to 50 feet tall at maturity.
But the breathtaking bouquet is just one of the charms of this Texas native, which is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 7b.
This plant has several common-name aliases, including coral bean, hot bean, mescal bean, mescal bean sophora, frigolito, frijollito, frijolillo, coral bean, big-drunk bean, and colorin.
Some of these are
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