10 VERY FRESH SEEDS, GATHERED THIS SEASON
Technically, it is Dematophyllum secundiflorum, according to sources like Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Wikipedia, etc., but more likely known as Sophora secundiflora….AND even MORE LIKELY known by a number of common names, most popularly Texas Mountain Laurel or Texas Mescal Bean.
A tough as nails native tree. And even more beautiful.
Beautiful purple to bluish violet, lavender, and even occasionally white flowers that look a lot like sweet peas--being a member of the same family……and even more ridiculously fragrant. Like 2 tons of purple Sweet Tarts got dumped right on top of you. Honey bees love them.
These seeds were harvested from a tree with a particularly heavy blooming characteristic…as evidenced by the photos with the loads of seed pods.
The Texas Mountain Laurel is an incredibly resilient and sturdy, evergreen with deep green leaves--bright green new growth--that are shiny, thick and leathery.
The seed pods are soft green with white fuzz when new and age into a grayish/tannish by the end of the season and are practically indestructible. They hang on, going to black by the second season, and longer, until they are harvested or finally blown off by the wind.
The trees begin to form their "tassels"--stems that will develop the next year's buds as the seed pods are reaching maturity in September. The tassels winter over on the trees and can cause the tree to look a little untidy if they are heavy bloomers.
People often try to trim them--destroying the next crop of blooms.
These trees love the limestone soils of central and southwest Texas, from San Antonio and Austin out to the Chisos and Davis Mountains of the Big Bend area.
They love full sun, but seem to do tolerably well in partial sun or as an understory tree that is not too shaded.
These trees can be VERY difficult to transplant successfully when collected or dug from the wild.
Starting them from seed or buying container grown seems to be the best option.
The seeds are red, VERY hard with thick coats and poisonous.
They need to be nicked--I usually give them just enough of a squeeze with a pair of pliers to hear the seed coat crack slightly to help jumpstart germination.
Once established, they are pretty immune to neglect.
USDA HARDINESS ZONES 10-8…
Trees planted in colder zones can loose their buds in late winter, early spring freezes. THIS IS A GREAT TREE FOR BONSAI…..OR JUST KEEP IN POTS.
BLOOM TIME: Spring
MATURE SIZE: 30' to as much as 50' in their native habitat,
and 10' to 15' wide
GROWTH HABIT: Single or Muli-trunk tree
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Neutral to alkaline, no special
amendments, GOOD DRAINAGE
EVERGREEN
HEAT AND DROUGHT TOLERANT
DEER RESISTANT
THESE SEEDS ARE FRESH, HOMEGROWN, HANDPICKED AND CLEANED, AND WERE COLLECTED FOR THIS PLANTING SEASON
I CAN MAKE BULK QUANTITIES AVAILABLE IN SOME OF THE SEEDS I OFFER, AND WELCOME INQUIRIES!
FREE USPS FIRST CLASS SHIPPING (Economy) FOR ALL SEEDS IN THE USA
SHIPPING W/TRACKING (USPS Retail Ground)
OR PRIORITY SHIPPING AVAILABLE ON REQUEST AT CHECKOUT
****I am happy to respond to inquiries and give the best information I have.
ABOUT OUR SEEDS (A SORT OF DISCLAIMER):
***We grow, harvest, clean and store our seeds, ourselves.***
**Some plants are restricted by various states. We will notify you if we are aware of any restriction, but we mostly know about restrictions here in Texas. ULTIMATELY IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BUYER to verify if your purchase is restricted by your state, county or city government.
**INTERNATIONAL BUYERS......While we are happy to ship seeds internationally, WE DO NOT OFFER PHYTOSANITARY CERTIFICATES. Again, IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BUYER to verify whether or not seeds might be banned from import into that country and might be seized at customs.
**MANY of the seeds we offer are NOT annuals with quick starts and short lifespans. Most are particularly suited to withstand the the extreme heat of central Texas summers. Some will take things entirely at their own pace and require a really warm soil and/or other special treatment for "quicker" germination...and germination MAY require weeks, months and longer.
**There are all manner of predators and conditions which can affect, hamper or even destroy germination....like molds, soil fungi, bugs, birds, squirrels, armadillos, pets and other varmints, soil and air temps (day AND night), water, light, care or lack thereof, contamination of planting media, and the list goes on.
**Germination tips are sent with each variety of seeds. The general method that works well for us in our location, particularly.
**BUYERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DO THEIR OWN RESEARCH for their particular areas. The internet abounds in information. Grower forums, county extension agents, and local nurseries can also be quite valuable sources.
** "FLOATING SEEDS" is not necessarily an indication of seeds with no viability. In some species, floating is the indicator that the seed IS viable....and in some species (like citrus) both sinkers and floaters will germinate, depending on the maturity and freshness of the seed.
**** THANKS! ****
