Eve’s Necklace

The Eve’s Necklace, also commonly referred to as Texas Sophora, typically reaches heights between 15 and 25 feet with spreads between 10 and 20 feet. In it’s natural habitat, the tree grows in the limestone soil of parts of Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The tree has an upright to oval crown and can be used as a shrub or small tree.

The alternate, odd-pinnately compound LEAVES grow 6-9” long. Each leaf has 13-15, elliptically shaped leaflets, ranging from 1/8 – 1/16” long. As the leaves grow, they change from gray and hairy to yellowish-green and smooth.

In June, rosy-pink FLOWERS bloom in racemes that are 2-6 inches long. Each flower is about 1/2” long and is a bit fragrant.

The FRUIT from the Eve’s Necklace comes in the form of black, leathery legumes. Between each SEED contained in the legume are abrupt constrictions that make the fruit appear like a string of beads, which give the tree its name.

The thin, scaly BARK is a gray to reddish color. The TWIGS are thin, brown, hairy and tend to swell at the nodes. The WOOD is a light red color.

The seeds may be poisonous.