Trees in Houston, Texas

Texas Mountain Laurel

• The Texas mountain laurel is a slow-growing evergreen with vivid, violet blooms in spring. It can be grown as a large shrub or trained to be a small tree. The leaves are leathery and the blossoms have a sweet, grape-like scent. The vibrant red and orange seeds are sometimes used in jewelry. The tree yields wood-like pod fruit with vibrant red and orange seeds are sometimes used in jewelry. The fruit and seeds, however, are poisonous.

Texas Persimmon

• The Texas persimmon is a small tree with multiple trunks of very hard wood. These trees grow to an average of 10 to 15 feet in height and are indigenous to grassy and bushy areas, such as hillsides. The multicolored bark peels away in flakes; underneath the flakes the tree is pinkish and smooth. In the spring, the Texas persimmon blooms with clusters of small white flowers that form an urn shape. The female trees bear round, 1-inch black fruit that is edible once soft. The tree is highly adapted to the Texas climate because it is extremely drought-tolerant and thrives in full sun.

Texas Redbud

• When in bloom, the Texas redbud is covered in pink and magenta flowers, hence it's name. The leaves on this deciduous tree are green, small, pear-shaped and leathery. Classified as a small tree, the Texas redbud grows 15 to 20 feet tall, and its canopy spreads equally as wide. The tree has a high tolerance for heat and needs modest amounts of water. The Texas redbud produces small, flat seed pods.