Tree: Texas Mountain Laurel

[livingdeb]

Today was a fabulous summer day. It's still 80 degrees (27 Celsius) at 6:30 p.m. Too bad I had to work through most of it in an overly air-conditioned building. Too bad that my friend who's visiting this weekend will miss it, because by this weekend it will be wintry. It will be very windy and will freeze or nearly freeze at night. Of course, since she chose to visit in February, she may not have been wanting summer weather.

Before today, we've had spring weather for, really, a couple of months. All kinds of things are blooming. And one of those things is the Texas mountain laurel! I really do love to stop and smell the flowers when this tree is blooming.

I think this is my favorite native tree, even though it's just another runty tree. And that's partly because it's beautiful in all seasons. It's evergreen and has rich green leaves. It has gnarly multiple trunks. And every spring for about a week, it blooms. The flowers are cascades of purple blossoms with a very strong fragrance reminiscent of grape bubble gum.

If you are familiar with wisteria, the flowers have a similar look and aroma, though wisteria is a vine rather than a tree.

If you are familiar with the mountain laurel that grows in the Smoky Mountains, those flowers are quite different. They are white and pink and shaped like hoop skirts.

Warnings: If you feel the need to sniff Texas mountain laurel blooms from close up, check for bees first. Also, don't let your dogs or toddlers gnaw on the seed pods because they are poisonous. And you must try very, very hard to refrain from throwing the seed pods into the yards of particularly annoying dogs. Because you are a good person and the poor dogs don't know any better. And they can't help it that they never get hoarse, no matter how long they bark.

Comments

[chikuru.livejournal.com]

...must not throw deadly seed pods into four neighboring yards all of which have yappy dogs...must control fist of death...