Prosopis pubescens Benth.

  • Authority

    Isley, Duane. 1973. Leguminosae of the United States: I. Subfamily. Mimosoideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (1): 1-152.

  • Family

    Mimosaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Prosopis pubescens Benth.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Armed shrub to small tree, 2-10 m, the young twigs velutinous. Leaves clustered from spurs; petioles 5-9 mm; pinnae 1 (-2) pairs; leaflets 5-8 pairs, elliptic to short-oblong, 5-10 mm, inevidently veined. Spines paired at nodes, apparently stipular, white, mostly .5-1.5 cm. Flowers in clustered or solitary, flexuous, yellowish spikes. Ovary villous. Legume tightly coiled into a straight, brownish, woody cylinder, linear, straight, 3-5 cm, 4-5 mm diam, villosulous when young, glabrate at maturity.

  • Discussion

    P. odorata auct. CN 2n = 56 (Cherubini, 1954). Without the utterly different pods, the screwbean differs from mesquite in its considerably smaller leaves with comparatively few, small leaflets.

  • Distribution

    W Texas to s California, n to sw Utah. Mostly along creek and river bottoms, flood plains, washes, along irrigation ditches, also open desert. Locally common. -100-4000 ft. April-May (Sept.). Screwbean. N. Mexico.

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