Texas Mountain Laurel
Dermatophyllum secundiflorum
A slow-growing evergreen Texas native with dense clusters of purple spring flowers whose scent recalls grape candy. It's drought tolerant and thrives in rocky limestone soil that drains well, in sun or part sun; it won't grow in shade. Its bright red seeds are highly poisonous, so keep them from children and pets.
- Mature size
- 15 × 10 ft
- 4.5 × 3 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 7b–10b
- USDA
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Dry to medium
- Blooms
- Feb–Apr
Texas Mountain Laurel at its mature size
A mature Texas Mountain Laurel grows 10 to 20 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide, taller than most people.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: NC State Extension, npsot.org, USDA PLANTS.
Photos
Growing Texas Mountain Laurel
- Grows well in
- The Plains and Mountain West and the desert Southwest.
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Good for
- Privacy screen, small space, drought tolerant, pollinators, winter interest, and fragrant
- Leaves
- Evergreen
- Native to
- Texas, New Mexico, and Northern Mexico
Spacing
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Texas Mountain Laurel, that’s about 10 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Texas Mountain Laurel in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.