+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ## velvet mesquite {#velvet-mesquite .Title-Header}                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| *Prosopis velutina* Woot.                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Plant Symbol = PRVE                                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center & UC Davis
Arboretum

### 

## Alternative Names:

mesquite

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.![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.0819444444444444in"
height="2.0819444444444444in"}

## 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.

## 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 as the plants form one true
leaf, transplant one plant per container and water. Keep the containers
watered but allows the surface of the soil to dry out in between
watering. Plant each dormant seedling in the ground the following fall
or winter in partial sun and well-drained soil. Plants will tolerate
cold to 5 degrees F. Protect the plants from wildlife. Water the plants
and keep them damp if the rains are insufficient. Also in areas without
summer rainfall do some watering in summer, about every 2 to 3 weeks.
Continue to water deeply throughout the life of the plant once in
awhile. Mesquite should be lightly damp all summer long.

## Management

Mesquite can tolerate pruning of the lower branches and it can be shaped
into a small tree with an exposed trunk or let grown naturally with the
branches touching the ground.

## Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

This species is available from native plant nurseries within its range.
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

## References

Arid Zone Trees 2000. *Prosopis velutina*. Version: 000323.
\<http://wwwaridzonetrees.com\>. Queen Creek, Arizona.

Barney, R.C. 1989. *Prosopis*. Pages 4-6 IN: Fabales, Vol. 3, Part B in
Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A.
A. Cronquist, A.H. Holmgren, N.H. Holmgren, J.L. Reveal, and P.K.
Holmgren (authors). New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.

Curtin, L.S.M. 1984. *By the prophet of the earth ethnobotany of the
Pima*. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona.

Dobyns, H.F. 1956. *Pre-conquest Hualapai plant food gathering*.
Unpublished report to Marks and Marks, Phoenix, Arizona and Strasser,
Spiegelberg, Fried and Frank, Washington, D.C.

Kearney, T.H. & R.H. Peebles 1960. *Arizona flora*. University of
California Press, Berkeley, California.

Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim, and A.L. Nelson. 1951. *American wildlife and
plants: A guide to wildlife food habits*. Dover Publications, New York,
New York.

McClintock, E. 1993. *Prosopis*. Pages 641-642 IN: The Jepson Manual:
Higher Plants of California. J. Hickman (ed.). University of California
Press, Berkeley, California.

Shreve, F. & I.L. Wiggins 1964. *Vegetation and flora of the Sonoran
Desert*. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.

USDA, NRCS 2000. *The PLANTS database*. \<http://plants.usda.gov\>.
Version: 000301. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

USDI, GS 2000. *The USGS-NPS vegetation mapping program*. Version:
000323. Photo: Aerial Information Systems, Redlands, California.
\<http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/TUZI/proshrub.html\>. Tuzigoot National
Monument. Center for Biological Informatics, Lakewood, Colorado.

## Prepared By and Species Coordinators

*M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis,
California

*Warren Roberts*

Superintendent, UC Davis Arboretum

Edited 04dec00 jsp; 29may03 ahv; 060808 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*