Tree Description:
A thorny shrub or small tree to 25 feet tall and a twisting trunk to 12" in diameter, forming an open, irregular crown.
Range/Site Description:
Arroyos and river valleys in West Texas only, especially the bottomlands of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, sometimes forming brushy thickets.
Leaf:
Alternate, bi-pinnately compound, with the two pinnae attached to a petiole 0.75" long. Each pinna is about 2" long, with 5 to 8 pairs of oblong leaflets that are 0.33" long, the rachis ending in a weak spine at the tip.
Flower:
Cylindrical, 3" long spikes of greenish-white flowers borne in the leaf axils.
Fruit:
Fruit is a legume pod, arranged in groups at the end of a stout stalk or peduncle; each pod is yellow or brown, about 1" to 2" long and 0.25" in diameter, tightly coiled like a spring.
Bark:
Twigs are armed with one or two sharp, white thorns up to 0.5" long at each leaf axil. Bark is gray to red-brown, turning dark brown or black and rough, eventually peeling into strips.
Wood:
Wood is used for fuel, tool handles, and posts.
Similar Species:
Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa) has more and longer leaflets. Western honey mesquite (P. glandulosa var. torreyana) has more leaflets and typical mesquite fruit pods.
Interesting Facts:
The root bark was powdered by the Pima Indians and used to treat wounds; the beans can be ground into meal for pinole bread, or boiled down into a syrup.
