Common Name(s): Velvet Mesquite, Arizona Mesquite

Synonym(s):

Family: Fabaceae

Native To: Common in southern Arizona and Sonora, up to 1400 m (4600 ft) in elevation

Native Habitat: Along watercourses in the desert, sometimes forming woodlands in slightly mountainous areas

Growth Habit: Small to large tree

Flowering: Spring, often again in summer

Distinguishing Characteristics: The leaves are compound, that is, leaves are comprised of separate leaflets. In fact, mesquite, like its relatives, has doubly compound leaves - the leaflets themselves are made up of several leaflets. Mesquites have small regular flowers, clustered together in dense yellow spikes. Prosopis can be told by its 1 or 2 pairs of primary leaflets (each of which are comprised of many small leaflets) and flowers with 10 stamens. Pods of the velvet mesquite are straw colored, sometimes with red streaks, flattened, and 10-20 cm long. Two other mesquites occur near Tucson, differing by larger, more widely spaced leaflets (honey mesquite), or pods tightly coiled (screwbean mesquite).

Natural History and Cultivation Notes: Prosopis is a genus of spiny trees and shrubs found in warm regions, primarily of the New World. The paired spines, positioned at the base of leaves, may serve to protect the mesquites from large herbivores. The historical expansion and reduction of the velvet mesquite woodlands, up desert mountain sides and back down, as now, to primarily watercourses, is documented for the last 12,000 years using evidence from pack-rat middens. Pack-rats carry many plant parts back to their nest; under the right circumstances these clues to historical plant distributions can then be preserved for thousands of years, as has been the case for velvet mesquite. Velvet mesquites flower in the spring and may flower again in the summer, if the rains are sufficient. The flowers are tiny, but a few hundred are produced together in a spike, offering a rich nectar resource for insect visitors. The fruit of the mesquite is a dry pod, and is enjoyed by livestock who then spread the seeds. This and the suppression of fire have encouraged the mesquite to expand into grasslands, transforming them into woodlands.

Ethnobotany: Due to the abundance of this tree in the Southwest, there are uses for the Velvet Mesquite in a variety of aspects of life. Bees pollinate it and some enthusiasts claim that it produces the world’s finest honey. The beans, known as “Pechitas,” are edible and have served as important starch in the diets of indigenous people. The flowers are also sweet and edible and the sap can be made into a cold and flu remedy or candy. Locals of the southwest also revere the charcoal made from mesquite wood for the delicious flavor it gives food on the grill. The roots, bark, and leaves have medicinal properties and have been used for conjunctivitis, intestinal parasites, acne, and dandruff. The inner bark is also used in basketry and fabrics. The wood itself can be used as lumber for houses and furniture.

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