Weed Information: Prosopis glandulosa (mesquite, honey)
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Prosopis glandulosa (mesquite, honey)

Family: Mimosaceae

Description

This shrub is native to the deserts of the southwest. It has hairless, bipinnately compound leaves, yellow flowers, and strong spines in the leaf axils. It is recently famous for its use as barbecue charcoal. The two varieties are distinguished as follows: Var. glandulosa - Leaflets 6 - 15 pairs, 25 - 62 mm long, 8 - 15 times as long as broad. Var. torreyana - Leaflets 8 - 20 pairs, 10 - 30 mm long, 5 - 8 times as long as broad.

Characteristics

Flower Color
  • Yellow
Inflorescence Type (How the flowers are arranged on the plant)
  • Axillary spikes
Number of Petals
  • 5 petals
Petal Separation
  • Completely free to base
  • United > 75% of length
Petal Tip
  • Pointed
  • Rounded
Flower Symmetry
  • Flowers regular
Flower Length (Head length in the Asteraceae)
  • 3 mm (.12 inch)
  • 4 mm (.16 inch)
  • 5 mm (.20 inch)
Flower Width (Head width in the Asteraceae)
  • 2 mm (.08 inch)
  • 3 mm (.12 inch)
  • 4 mm (.16 inch)
  • 5 mm (.20 inch)
Number of Sepals
  • 5 sepals
Sepal Separation
  • United > 75% of length
Sepal Tip
  • Pointed
Flower Sex
  • Bisexual (perfect)
Number of Styles
  • 1 style
Number of Stamens
  • 10 stamens
Stamens Attached to the Petals
  • Stamens NOT attached to the petals
Stamens Connate (united)
  • Filaments or anthers NOT united

Carpel Separation
  • Carpels united (or one)
Number of Carpels
  • 1 carpel
Ovary Position
  • Superior (hypogynous)
Fruit Type
  • Capsule, 1-celled
  • Legume
Fruit Length at Maturity
  • 7.0 cm (2.8 inches)
  • 8.0 cm (3.2 inches)
  • 9.0 cm (3.6 inches)
  • 1.0 dm (4.0 inches)
  • > 1.5 dm (> 6.0 inches)
  • 1.5 dm (6.0 inches)
Fruit Width at Maturity
  • 7 mm (.28 inch)
  • 8 mm (.32 inch)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
Burs
  • Fruit or seed NOT bur-like

Leaf Arrangement
  • Alternate
Stipules
  • Lacking
  • Spines
Tendrils
  • Tendrils absent
Venation
  • Pinnate
Petiole (leaf stem) Blade Ratio
  • Petiole 25% - 75% total length
Leaf Length (blade PLUS petiole)
  • 1 - 2 dm (4.0 - 8.0 inches)
  • 2 - 4 dm (8.0 - 16.0 inches)
Leaf Width
  • 1 - 2 dm (4.0 - 8.0 inches)
  • 2 - 4 dm (8.0 - 16.0 inches)
Leaf or Leaflet Margin
  • Entire
  • Ciliate
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Base
  • Acute (cuneate)
Leaf or Leaflet Tip
  • Acute
  • Rounded (obtuse)
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Surface
  • Glabrous (NO hairs)
  • Pubescent
Succulence
  • Not succulent
Leaf Type
  • Bipinnately compound

Milky Juice
  • Juice NOT milky (watery)
Woodiness
  • Woody
Spines or Thorns
  • Spines on leaves or stems
Aromatic (vegetative structures)
  • Not aromatic
Life Cycle
  • Perennial
Growth Habit (while flowering)
  • Erect, spherical (bushy)
Plant Height at Maturity
  • 1.5 - 2.0 meters (5.0 - 6.6 feet)
  • 2 - 2.5 meters (6.6 - 8.3 feet)
  • 2.5 - 5 meters (8.3 - 16.6 feet)
  • more than 5.0 meters (16.6 33 feet)
Wind Dissemination
  • Not wind disseminated
Moisture Regime
  • Mesic
  • Arid
Chlorophyll
  • Present

Stem Cross Section
  • Round
Flowering Stem Leaves
  • Stem uniformly leafy
Main Stem Branches
  • Main stem branched

Root or Vegetative Propagule
  • Fibrous
  • Tap Root

US State
  • Kansas
  • Louisiana
  • Missouri
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Nevada
  • Oklahoma
  • Utah
Other
  • Virgin Islands

  • An Illustrated Guide To Arizona Weeds, 1972 (ISBN 0-8165-0288-9) 338 pages. See page: 184
  • Common Weeds of the United States, 1971 (ISBN 0-486-20504-5) See page: 234
  • Weeds of the West, 1992 (ISBN 0941570-13-4) See page: 342
  • Weeds of the West, 2000 (ISBN 0941570-13-4) See page: 340
  • Listed as a `Weed` by the Biota of North America Program, 2008 X
  • Listed in the WSSA Composite List of Weeds X
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