Sophora secundiflora, also known as Texas Mountain Laurel, is a native evergreen ornamental tree, valued for its handsome, dark green foliage and lush lavender blooms. It is drought-tolerant, prefers rocky limestone soil, and is native to the southwest region of North America, spanning from central Texas to New Mexico, and reaching as far south as San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The fragrance of Texas mountain laurel flowers is reminiscent of artificial grape products, such as Grape Kool-Aid. The lacquer red seeds were valued by indigenous people for ceremonial use; they contain the highly poisonous alkaloid cytisine (or sophorine), a substance related to nicotine and widely cited as a narcotic and hallucinogen.
