VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Sophora secundiflora | Mescalbean Sophora 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Mescalbean sophora wood has no commercial value [28].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Mescalbean sophora is eaten by few animals.  Rock squirrels eat the
flowers [10].  


PALATABILITY : 
Mescalbean sophora is unpalatable to livestock [10].  


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Mescalbean sophora leaves, flowers, and seeds contain several alkaloids,
which make them poisonous to humans and animals [13].  Data from a
nutritional analysis of mescalbean sophora plants from the Edwards
Plateau region of Texas are presented below [11]:

                                        percentage of dry matter
                               -----------------------------------------
            date     % water   ash   cell   phos   protein   digestible 
         collected                   wall                    org. matter 

seeds      6/28        6        3     35    0.11     12         85
leaves     6/28       50        6     41    0.10     17         57
leaves     7/27       52        6     46    0.12     18         53


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Mescalbean sophora is easily propagated from seed but not from cuttings
[21].  Container-grown plants are easily transplanted [21].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Mescalbean sophora is a widely used landscape plant in Texas, New
Mexico, and Arizona [5,21].  Plants are used as small specimen trees,
and in hedges, screenings, and mass plantings [5,21].  Container-grown
nursery plants are readily available for transplanting.  Because the
seeds are toxic to humans, they are sometimes removed from plants in
landscape settings before they mature.

The brightly colored seeds are very hard and were used by Indians as
trade items and in necklaces and other jewelry [19,28].  The narcotic
properties of the seeds were exploited by Indians, who ground the seeds
and mixed the powder with mescal beverages to produce a powerfully
intoxicating drink [28].

Mescalbean sophora seeds are found in Mexican good-luck charms.  These
charms consist of a small pouch that contains a magnet with iron
filings, cereal grains, and the seeds of native plants [23].  

Mescalbean sophora flowers are a source of nectar for honey bees [10].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Toxicity:  The seeds of mescalbean sophora are highly toxic to humans.
Symptoms of poisoning, which appear within 1 hour, include nausea,
violent and bloody vomiting, headaches, vertigo, confusion, fever,
excessive thirst, cold sweat, respiritory problems, followed by
convulsions and death [23].

Mescalbean sophora's seeds, leaves, and flowers are poisonous to cattle,
sheep, and goats [13,22].  Cattle are most susceptible to poisoning by
leaves, while goats and sheep are more tolerant.  Affected animals often
recover if placed on a high-quality diet 22].

Pests:  Plants are primarily pest-free, except for infestations by
caterpillars of a moth in the family Pyralidae.  Caterpillar
infestations of mescalbean sophora have been controlled biologically
with a strain of bacteria (Bacillus thuringensis), which causes the
caterpillars to sicken and die [5].  Insecticide sprays such as Sevin or
diazinon may also be useful [5].

Control:  Plants are susceptible to phenoxy herbicides and are usually
killed with one moderate application [18].

Related categories for Species: Sophora secundiflora | Mescalbean Sophora