Abstract
There are 50 to 70 woody and herbaceous species of the sophora genus found in the warm temperate and tropical regions of the world. Of the species found in the United States, 2 are discussed in detail here. Mescalbean (also known as
frijolito and Texas mountain-laurel,
Sophora secundiflora [Ortega] Lag. ex DC.) is a small tree of western Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. It is found in the forests of Hawaii. Mescalbean is a favored tree for landscaping in areas with alkaline soils and moderate drought. Its seeds reportedly have hallucinogenic properties and contain many alkaloids. Two other southwestern species are silverbush (
Sophora tomentosa L.), an evergreen shrub, and Texas sophora (
Sophora affinis Torr. & Gray), a small tree.
Keywords
Sophora,
seed research
Citation
Connor, Kristina F. 2008. Sophora L. In: Bonner, Franklin T.; Karrfalt, Robert P., eds. The Woody Plant Seed Manual. Agric. Handbook No. 727. Washington, DC. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1055-1056.