Common Name: Mesquite

General Information

Prosopis juliflora is a thorny evergreen tree with a large, flat-topped crown and open canopy; it can grow from 5 - 10 metres tall. The short, crooked bole can be up to 45cm in diameter[, ].
A multi-purpose tree providing food, medicines and many commodities, it is widely cultivated in many areas of the drier tropics for its wide range of uses[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Northern and western S. America - Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela; north through Central America to Mexico.

Habitat

Light, sandy or gravelly soils in arid or semi-arid areas where there is subterranean moisture[]. Commonly found on over-grazed land[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant for the drier areas of the tropics and subtropics, succeeding from sea level up to elevations of 1,500 metres[]. It can be grown in areas where the mean annual temperature ranges from 14 - 34°c, with an absolute maximum of almost 50°c; and where the annual precipitation is as low as 50mm or up to 1,200mm[, ]. It is intolerant of frost[].
Adapted to many soil types from acid to alkaline and including strongly saline and severely depleted soils[]. Requires a position in full sun in a light, well-drained soil[]. Plants have very long tap roots and, once established, are extremely drought resistant[]. They can also tolerate seasonal waterlogging[].
Mesquite is sometimes said to dry out the soil and compete with grasses, particularly in dry areas[]. Plants can begin flowering when 3 - 4 years old, often flowering twice a year and producing seed prolifically[]. Hence in some areas, especially the more humid ones, it can spread freely and is considered a weed[].
A fast-growing species[].
The plant coppices readily[].
The plant produces fragrant, nectar-rich flowers from which bees produce a fine-flavoured clear honey[].
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[].
Total nitrogen, sulphur and soluble salts, as well as organic matter, have been shown to increase 3-fold in the upper 4.5 metres of soil under P. Juliflora[].

Edible Uses

Seedpods - raw or cooked[]. They can be roasted, chewed or ground into a powder[]. A rich, delicious flour can be made from pulverized pods from which seeds have been removed[]. The powder can be mixed with water to make a refreshing drink, which can be drunk immediately, made into a pudding or allowed to ferment into a sort of beer[]. The seedpods are 8 - 29cm long, 9 - 17mm wide and 4 - 8mm thick[].

Mature seeds can be soaked overnight and then baked like kidney beans[]. Cotyledons and embryos when pulverized yield a flour rich in protein and sugar appropriate for diabetic people[].
The seeds are rich in protein (they contain around 29% protein, 48% carbohydrate and 14% fat) and have potential for use as a human food[]. The dried, powdered seed has a digestibility rating of 67%, increasing to 76% when cooked - this is higher than for many of the commonly eaten legume foods. The seeds do contain antinutritional factors, including trypsin inhibitors, phenols, alkaloids and haemagglutinin, but these are not present in high enough concentration to constitute a major nutritional problem. These antinutritional factors are soluble in saline solutions and can be removed by soaking or during cooking[].

Flowers - raw. A sweet flavour[]. They can also be roasted or made into a tea[].

A sweet gum exudes from the trunk[]. It is used in making sweets[].

The wood is used as a flavouring to smoke foods[].

Medicinal

A syrup prepared from the ground up pods has various medicinal values. It is given to children showing weight deficiency or retardation in motor development[]. It is believed to increase lactation[]. It is also used for preparing various medicinal syrups, particularly for expectorants[].

The leaves are used in the treatment of oral infections, painful and frequent urination
The powdered leaves are brewed in water and the liquid applied to the eyes to treat irritations, conjunctivitis etc[]. A compress made from the boiled leaves is applied to the eyes to reduce swelling[].

A tea made from Prosopis juliflora is thought to be good for treating digestive disturbances and skin lesions[].

The leaves have been shown to have antibacterial, antibiotic, antispasmodic and astringent[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants can be used for erosion control, to stabilize dunes, in shelterbelts and windbreaks, and as living fences in arid and semi-arid climates[, ].
Mesquite is widely planted for land reclamation because it is an aggressive colonizer, tolerant of very poor, degraded, saline and alkaline soils. Aerial seeding of a mixture of Prosopis juliflora, Nicotania glauca and several Eucalyptus species is used to revegetate abandoned copper mines[].

Other Uses

The heartwood contains significant amounts of extractable polyphenolic compounds from which can be isolated a unique flavinol compound used in the formation of new phenol-formaldehyde polymeric resins[].
A reddish-amber gum, similar in properties to the gum arabic produced by Acacia senegal, often exudes from the stem and older branches[]. It forms an adhesive mucilage[].

Tannin or dyestuff can be extracted from the wood and bark, but the yield is only about 10%[]. Tannin could also be extracted as a by-product when the wood is processed for other purposes[]..

There is a large potential for the wood as a source for fibre in the production of paper, paperboard and hardboard[].

The heartwood is dark brown to red or yellowish; the thin band of sapwood light yellow. The wood is close grained, moderately hard, heavy, tough, strong and durable in the soil, though susceptible to the attacks of drywood termites. Seasoned wood is used for rail ties, fence posts, furniture, crafts and corrals. It is rarely used in construction, as most tree trunks are not long or straight enough[, , , ].
The generally crooked stems and branches make good firewood and provide excellent charcoal[, ]. The charcoal is used extensively in the USA as barbecue fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - they can be stored for several years at ambient temperatures[]. The seed has a very hard seedcoat and could take several years to germinate without pre-treatment to allow moisture to be absorbed. There are various ways of doing this - carefully making a small nick in the seedcoat, being careful not to damage the seed is very effective on a small scale. On a larger scale, soaking the seed in nearly boiling water for a few minutes (being careful not to cook the seeds) and then for another 24 hours in warm water is a common method[]. Sow the seed in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed or individual pots. Germination of treated seed is usually fast, with 80 - 90% of the seeds sprouting within 4 - 6 days[, ].
Aerial seeding is applied successfully to quickly cover remote, extensive and poorly accessible areas[]. Inoculation with Rhizobium and mycorrhizal fungi is advantageous[]
Root cuttings.
Grafting.

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