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Fabaceae FAMILY

Dermatophyllum secundiflorum

Dermatophyllum secundiflorum

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant, and especially the seeds, are narcotic and hallucinogenic. The seed contains the poisonous, volatile, liquid alkaloid sophorine, which is chemically identical to cytisine[1, 2]. It resembles nicotine in its action and is similarly toxic[3]. 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[4].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthSlow

Dermatophyllum secundiflora is native to the warm temperate and subtropical regions of southern N. America, usually growing in semi-arid environments. It requires hot summers to fully ripen its wood and is not likely to do well in moister and colder regions of the temperate zone. It seems well-suited for climates such as are found in southern Europe[5]. It has succeeded when grown outdoors in southern England and given the added protection of a sunny wall[6]. Succeeds in a well-drained moderately fertile soil in full sun[7]. Succeeds in a hot dry position. Usually found on limestone soils in the wild[2]. Plants are rather slow-growing and difficult to transplant[8]. A very ornamental plant[9]. Plants should be container-grown and planted out whilst young, older plants do not transplant well[6]. The flowers have a powerful and delicious fragrance[1, 7], though some people find them offensive[8]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[7]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[7].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[7]. Pre-soak stored seed for 12 hours in hot (not boiling) water and sow in late winter in a greenhouse[10]. Plants often transplant badly[2], so prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into individual pots in the greenhouse, and grow them on until large enough to plant out. In regions near the edge of the plant's hardiness, it might be best to grow the young plants in pots for 2 years under protected conditions. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of their third year. Cuttings of young shoots with a heel, mid summer in a frame[5]. Air-layering[7]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Dermatophyllum+secundiflorum>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Manual of the Trees of N. America. — Sargent. C. S. · Dover Publications Inc. New York. · 1965 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ · ISBN 0-486-20278-X ↩︎Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet.
  2. [2]Trees of Central Texas. — Vines. R. A. · University of Texas Press · 1987 · ISBN 0-292-78958-3 ↩︎A good concise guide, it gives details of habitats and some of the uses of trees growing in Texas.
  3. [3]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  4. [4]Fire Effects Information System — http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/ ↩︎An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
  5. [5]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  6. [6]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
  7. [7]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  8. [8]Trees of North Texas — Vines. R.A. · University of Texas Press. · 1982 · ISBN 0292780206 ↩︎A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.
  9. [9]Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas — Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J · Botanical Research Institute, Texas. · 1999 · http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm · ISBN 1-889878-01-4 ↩︎An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.
  10. [10]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  11. [11]Food Plants of the N. American Indians. — Yanovsky. E. · U.S. Depf of Agriculture. · ISBN - ↩︎A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
  12. [12]Narcotic Plants — Emboden. W. · Studio Vista · 1979 · ISBN 0-289-70864-8 ↩︎A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics.
  13. [13]Earth Medicine, Earth Food. — Weiner. M. A. · Ballantine Books · 1980 · ISBN 0-449-90589-6 ↩︎A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
  14. [14]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
  15. [15]People Plants Database — https://maoriplantuse.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms/default.aspx ↩︎An online database of New Zealand plants and their Maori names and uses. An excellent information source.