WorldFloraDB - Prosopis pubescens

Characteristics

Large shrub or small tree up to 4 m high armed with paired straight spines 0.5-1.5 cm long. Leaves bipinnate, with 1 pinna pair; leaflets 5-8 pairs per pinna, 5-10 x 1.75-4 mm, finely and rather sparsely appressed-pubescent on both surfaces. Inflorescence an axillary spike; flowers sessile, yellow. Ovary densely pilose. Pod very tightly spirally coiled into a ± straight, brownish cylinder 2.5-5 cm long overall, 4-6 mm in diameter, tomentellous when young but becoming glabrescent with age.

More

A shrub or tree. It has thorns. It grows 7 m tall. The bark is light brown. It often has short straight spines 1-3 cm long. The leaves are twice divided. The flowers are small and yellow. They are in spikes. The fruit is a twisted seedpod 5 cm long.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

tree

Growth support

free-standing

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

entomogamy

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

2.0

Mature height (meter)

5.0 - 6.5

Root system

-

Rooting depth (meter)

0.6

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

-

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Nitrogen fixer

rhizobia

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

Found in creek and river bottoms, sandy/gravely washes, or ravines; at elevations from 100-1,300 metres. Found along streams, washes, floodplains, gullies, and in alkali sinks, oases, arroyos, and bajadas in the desert southwest.

More

It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It can grow in dry salty soils. It grows below 1,200 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. It is often near streams in deserts and can grow in salty soil.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture	-
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The pods are eaten raw, roasted, pounded into meal for cakes. The pods are also dried and stored for later use. They are also made into an alcoholic drink. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer. They are also boiled down to syrup or molasses.

Uses	animal food bee plant beverage environmental use fiber food forage fuel invertebrate food material medicinal wood
Edible	barks fruits pods saps seeds
Therapeutic use	Unspecified (bark), Eye Medicine (bark), Dermatological Aid (bark), Ear Medicine (pod), Unspecified (root), Dermatological Aid (root), Gynecological Aid (root), Ear Medicine (unspecified), Intoxicant (unspecified), Liqueur (unspecified), Wound (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Seeds need treatment before they will grown.

Mode	seedlings
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	soaking
Minimum temperature (C°)	-
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-