Flowering Trees

Photo by Bob Badgett©

Spring flowers include several flowering trees and large shrubs. Mountain Laurels (left) and Huisache, or sweet acacia (right), provide fragrant flowers in March. Mountains laurel seed pods contain several shiny red seeds. Formerly, the beans have been strung into necklaces, "a strand of beans six feet long was said to buy a small horse in areas to the north" (Cox and Leslie, p242). Mountain laurel seeds are also called mescal beans because they have been added to mescal (century plant) to make an intoxicating beverage. However, the beans are also poisonous. (Cox and Leslie, p242).

Photo by Patty Leslie Pasztor©

Photo by Bob Badgett© Mexican Buckeye tree. Although named a buckeye because of its appearance, the Mexican Buckeye tree is in the soapberry tree family and unrelated to the true buckeyes.

In regard to the early spring flowers of the Mexican Buckeye and Texas Redbud trees, "...for all who live with these flowering trees, their force is that shower of glorious pink, so astonishing when all else is still drab." RH Wauer, 1999. Heralds of Spring in Texas.Texas A&M University Press. College Station, p131.

Photo by Allen Perry© Texas Redbud tree

Photo by Bob Badgett©

Yellow buckeye tree. Although the buckeye tree usually has red flowers, a variant with yellow flowers is found occasionally along the Balcones Escarpment

The agarita provides red berries for wildlife that can made into juice; however, the small berries and numerous sharp leaves make difficult work. In January, the agarita may be covered with small yellow flowers.

Photo by Alen Perry©

Other flowering trees in Friedrich include Escarpment Black Cherry.

Bibliography