Arizona Wild Flowers
Wildflower Pictures And Photos

Velvet Mesquite, Prosopis velutina

Velvet Mesquite, Prosopis velutina Photo Taken At Glendale, Thunderbird park. April 9, 2003.

Velvet Mesquite, Prosopis velutina	Family: Fabaceae, the legume family
These Flowers Produce Huge Amounts Of Nectar	Honey Bees Produce Tons Of Honey From These Flowers Mesquite Honey Is Light Colored And Delicious!!!

Velvet Mesquite Prosopis velutina, Bean or Legume Family ( Fabaceae ), Velvet Mesquite. There are three common species of mesquite; the honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), screwbean mesquite (Prosopis pubescens), and velvet mesquite. The velvet mesquite is the largest of the mesquite species. It is a low-branched, broad spreading thorny shrub or small tree with a well-developed crown. It can grow as a single-trunked tree about 30 feet tall, and just as wide, with a two feet diameter trunk. A low-branched, broad spreading tree, sometimes a large shrub. Leaves grow alternately on the branch. The leaves themselves are bipinnate, compound, about 3-6 inches long, and pointed. The leaf has two sets of compound leaves, usually with four major leaflets and 10-20 narrow minor leaflets 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, which grow opposite each other on the stem. The leaves are dark to dusky green with a gray, hairy surface and paler undersides. The flowers are yellow-green, drooping catkins about 2-3 inches long. The flowers have bell-shaped calyces, and 5 petals. The flowers are tiny, but there are hundreds in a catkin. The seeds are contained in straight or slightly curved, flat seed pods about 3-8 inches long. They grow singly, or in drooping clusters. Seed pods are straw colored, and are covered in short, velvety hairs when young. They mature 7-9 weeks after flowering. In Arizona they mature in July and drop in September. Height: About 20 feet. Can reach 30 feet. Flowers: Pale yellow, sometimes cream colored; in a tight elongated, showy clusters, 2 to 3 inches long, fragrant, appearing in spring and early summer. Inflorescences, axillary spikes. Blooming Time: April to June. Stems/Trunks : An attractive gray shaggy - rough trunk; the twigs are jointy, branches gnarled and twisted. Leaves: The leaves are bipinnately compound in pairs (two sets of compound leaves on stem), leaflets 1/3in to 1/2in long; 14 to 30 pairs of leaflets per leaf; dark green to dusty green, slightly fuzzy texture, short gray hairs. Seed Pod: A slender brown pod, 3 - 9 in long 1/2in -1/4 in wide; edible, maturing in mid to late summer. Elevation: 0 - 5000 Feet. Habitat: Washes, flats and canyons below 5000 feet. Creosote bush scrub, deserts. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken At Glendale, Thunderbird park. April 9, 2003.