Prosopis

Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Prosopis (Greek, but the meaning is obscure). Leguminosae. Tender trees and shrubs, including the mesquit and the screw bean, two forage plants of considerable value in the arid regions of southern California and the Southwest. Stems with or without spines, the spines axillary, solitary or in pairs or only the stipules spinescent: lvs. bipinnate, 1 or 2 pairs of pinnae; lfts. usually numerous, small, entire: fls. small, greenish, in cylindrical or globose axillary spikes: pods linear, coriaceous and indehiscent. — About 25 species, tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The mesquits are thorny shrubs which ordinarily grow only a few feet high in the desert, but under favorable circumstances make trees 60 feet high. They are also called algaroba and cashaw. The sweetish pods are eaten chiefly by cattle. Seeds and plants are offered in southern California. P. strombulifera, Benth. (Acacia strombulifera, Willd.), is a shrub 5-8 ft. high, with ash-gray bark, very short spines, lfts. of the pinnae 4-6-paired, linear, and the pod yellowish, about 2 in. long, and spirally twisted. Peru. F. Tracy Hubbard. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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Prosopis caldenia, a species of central Argentina.
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Prosopis is a genus of about 45 species of leguminous spiny trees and shrubs found in subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, Africa and southwest Asia. They often thrive in arid soil and are resistant to droughts, on occasion developing extremely deep root systems. Their wood is usually hard, dense and durable. Their fruits are pods and may contain large amounts of sugar.

Some of the species in this genus are:

• Mesquite species (southern United States, Mexico):
  • Prosopis glandulosa (Honey Mesquite)
  • Prosopis pallida
  • Prosopis pubescens (Screwbean Mesquite)
  • Prosopis reptans (Tornillo)
  • Prosopis strombulifera (Creeping Mesquite)
  • Prosopis velutina (Velvet Mesquite)
• South American species (algarrobos of the Gran Chaco and others):
  • Prosopis affinis (Ñandubay)
  • Prosopis alba (Algarrobo blanco)
    • Prosopis alba var. panta (Algarrobo panta)
  • Prosopis caldenia (Caldén)
  • Prosopis chilensis (Algarrobo chileno)
  • Prosopis fiebrigii
  • Prosopis flexuosa
  • Prosopis hassleri
  • Prosopis juliflora
  • Prosopis nigra (Algarrobo negro)
  • Prosopis rojasiana
  • Prosopis ruscifolia (Vinal)
• African species
  • Prosopis africana
• Asian species (India (mainly Rajasthan), Syria, Iraq):
  • Prosopis cineraria (Khejri, Jand, Sangri, Kandi)

References

• Paciecznik, N. M., Harris P. J. C., & S. J. Smith. 2003. Identifying Tropical Prosopis Species: A Field Guide. HDRA, Coventry, UK. ISBN 0-905343-34-4.
• Handbook on taxonomy of Prosopis in Mexico, Peru and Chile (FAO Document Repository)
• Plant Walk I: Old Main (website of the Vascular Plant Herbarium of the University of Arizona in Tucson)
• Plant Walk 1 UofA
• Plant Walk 2 UofA

See also

• Arabian Desert and East Sahero-Arabian xeric shrublands
• Northwestern thorn scrub forests
• Invasive species in Australia