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Mesquite

Prosopis glandulosa

Other common name(s):

Honey Mesquite

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Arid Llano Estacado, Llano Estacado, Rolling Sand Plains, Shinnery Sands
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys, Semiarid Canadian Breaks
Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

25
to
30
ft.

Spread

25
to
25
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Caliche, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Very Low

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Seeds, Nectar, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals, Bees

Maintenance

Needs deep watering to become a tree. Becomes drought tolerant requiring low maintenance. Prune as needed to raise canopy for walkways. Twigs have sharp thorns and should be removed from traffic areas. Fall and early winter produces seed pods. Propagation: Root cuttings, Softwood cuttings, Seed.

Comments

Very slow growing. Spreads easily. Thorny. Native Habitat: deserts, plains; stream banks; arroyos. Excellent nectar source. Larval Host: Great Purple Hairstreak, Long-tailed Skipper and Sphingicampa heiligbrodt. Excellent nectar source.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48, 53. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 337-338. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRGL2. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Prosopis+glandulosa&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=11602&locationType=County&mapType=Normal., 7) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014, 8) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=26879#null

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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