Common Name: Velvet Mesquite

General Information

Prosopis velutina is a spiny, deciduous tree with a spreading, rounded crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall. The bole is short[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is cultivated as a source of fuel in arid areas.
Prosopis velutina has been widely introduced and planted as a fuel and fodder tree. The seed are spread widely by grazing animals either from established plantations or from single trees around houses or water-holes, and will persist for long periods in the seed bank. The plant has shown itself to be a very aggressive invader, especially in arid and semi-arid natural grasslands, both in the native range and where introduced. Invasion in the native range generally involves an increase in plant density rather than an increase in its range. It is a declared noxious weed in Australia and South Africa, and the genus as a whole is regulated in several other countries[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southwestern N. America - Arizona, New Mexico, northern Mexico (Sonora)

Habitat

Desert washes and plains, commonly invading extensively and/or over-exploited degraded grasslands, wastelands, watercourses,; growing in a very wide range of soils and site types from sand dunes to cracking clays[]; elevations up to 1,700 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prosopis velutina is a plant of arid and semi-arid regions of southwestern N. America, where it experiences very high temperatures in the summer and frosts in the winter, tolerating occasional lows down to -20°c[].
Species in this genus generaly require a suny position in a well-drained soil[]. Succeeds in a wide range of soils from sands to heavy clays[]. Tolerates saline and alkaline soils[].
The plant can tolerate pruning of the lower branches and it can be shaped into a small tree with an exposed trunk or left to grow naturally with the branches touching the ground[]
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

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[].
The seedpod is 8 - 16cm long, by 6 - 10mm wide, each pod containing 10-17 seeds ovate seeds 5 - 7mm long[].

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[].

Medicinal

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[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The flowers are used as a source of bee food in the honey industry[].

Other Uses

A gum of excellent quality, comparable to gum arabic (Senegalia senegal) can be obtained from the trunk[]. The Pima used the black gum in a concoction to dye gray hair black[].

The bark is a source of tannins[].

A fibre obtained from the bark can be used in making cord[].

The wood is of good quality, though rarely available in any but small dimensions[]. It is used for fence posts and the heartwood takes a fine polish[].
The wood makes a high quality fuel and a charcoal of excellent quality[].

Propagation

Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have ripened and dried the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[].