Common Name(s): Argentine Mesquite, South American Mesquite

Synonym(s):

Family: Fabaceae

Native To: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile

Native Habitat: Low arid land and dry wash beds

Growth Habit: Small multi-trunk tree

Flowering: Yellowish / cream catkin

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Natural History and Cultivation Notes: The Mesquite tree is the common name for a whole genus, the Prosopis genus, rather than just one species. The Prosopis genus is comprised of over 45 species of trees. Of the 45 species, Prosopis alba, also known as the Argentine Mesquite, has hybridised with the SW native Prosopis velutina, creating a whole range of characteristics, including lack of thorns and persistent year round foliage. All mesquite trees are valued as firewood, especially for the flavor the resulting smoke gives in BBQ’s. The trees produce bean pods in abundance, prized as fodder for a great variety of wildlife. They are even used for human consumption. With frequent landscape irrigation, mesquites develop large lush tops with inadequate root systems and can often blow over. This unfortunate trait, however, is easily avoided by watering less frequently, and watering very deeply. This will encourage deeper root growth, balancing with the top and providing anchorage.

Ethnobotany:

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