mesquite

Mesquite – Plant

LATIN NAME
Prosopis glandulosa

LONGEVITY
Perennial

SEASON
Warm

ORIGIN
Native

DETAILS:

  • Other common names, “Honey mesquite.”
  • Mesquite is a thorny deciduous shrub or small tree up to 30 feet tall.
  • Flowers are yellowish-green and bloom May to September.
  • The fruit is a long seedpod that ripens August to September.
  • The seedpods are an important source of food for deer, livestock, birds, and small mammals.
  • However, the seeds can be toxic in large quantities as a primary food source.
  • Native American Indians used the seeds for bread and alcohol.
  • A black dye can be generated from mesquite for use on pottery; gum from the bark was eaten as candy or dissolved in water for dysentery; also used for wounds or scratchy throat treatment.
  • Adapted to clay and sandy loam soils throughout most of Texas.

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