Velvet Mesquite

Scientific Name: Prosopis velutina Wooton

Plant Guide

Uses

Ethnobotanic: The pods of this mesquite provided an important food to the Maricopa, Pima, Haulapais, and other tribes of the Southwest and are still very important today. The pods or the seeds alone are ground in a mortar or the seeds are sometimes parched and afterwards ground into a meal that is very nourishing. This meal is eaten as is, used to sweeten other seed mixtures, or made into bread. Traditionally a drink was prepared from the beans by pounding them in a stone mortar, mixing cold water with the flour, and the product was strained and drank. The black gum from the mesquite was an important medicine to the Pima. It was boiled with a little water and applied to sore lips and gums, chapped fingers, and taken internally to cleanse the system. Mesquite leaves were pounded and boiled and placed on the eyes of Pima individuals as a treatment for pink eye. The Pima used black gum in a concoction to dye gray hair black. Industrial: The wood is used for fence posts and the heartwood takes a fine polish. The flowers are used as a source of bee food in the honey industry. Wildlife: Mesquite is an important tree to wildlife. The seeds are eaten by jackrabbits, Gambel quail, songbirds, various small mammals, and domestic livestock. Western chipmunks, ground squirrels, pocket mice, and various species of kangaroo and wood rats consume the foliage. Different birds also nest in the tree's canopy.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values. This species is a valuable native of the southwest US. A synonym, Prosopis articulata, referring to a South American plant, is listed as noxious Federally and in the States of Florida and North Carolina (two states that include all names on the Federal list).

Description

This deciduous shrub or tree is less than 15 m in height with a spreading, rounded crown. Every part of the plant has short, dense hairs. The branches are crooked with spines 1-2 cm. The fern-like compound leaves are divided into many tiny leaflets. The trunk has a shaggy bark. The inflorescence is a spike-like raceme and the yellow corolla has free petals. The fruits are 8-15 cm linear and flat and are tan-colored or sometimes streaked with red.

Distribution

This mesquite is found below 1700 m in desert washes and plains in Yavapai County, Arizona east and south to western Texas and northern Mexico, It is common in Sonora at least as far south as Guaymas and uncommon in California, being found in the San Joaquin Valley, and the central and south coasts, For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site, , Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Velvet Mesquite.

Establishment

Gather the seed pods and take the seeds out of the pods. Put the seeds in scalding water and let the water cool. Plant seeds in a well-drained soil in deep pots or tree tubes in autumn. Sprinkle soil on top of the seeds and place one-quarter inch gravel on top of the dirt. The seeds should be spaced one-half inch apart and the tree tubes placed in partial shade with morning sun and afternoon shade. Water the containers right away and keep them moist. As soon Plant Materials <http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/> Plant Fact Sheet/Guide Coordination Page <http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/intranet/pfs.html> National Plant Data Center <http://npdc.usda.gov>