Different Types of Mesquite

Honey Mesquite

• Most of Texas and parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Utah, Nevada and California are within the American range of the honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa). Honey mesquite grows to 40 feet, featuring thorny trunks and branches, compound leaves composed of multiple stems and leaflets and spikes of yellow spring flowers. The flowers generate long seedpods, a characteristic of the mesquites, with some reaching 9 inches long. When growing in sandy soil, the honey mesquite's individual roots are sometimes so massive that they are larger than the actual trunk of the tree, enabling it to secure water. People dig the roots up and use them as firewood.

Velvet Mesquite

• The velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) grows to 30 feet but is often no larger than a shrub. This type of mesquite takes its name from the fuzzy hairs that adorn its compound foliage. Velvet mesquite has a limited range, growing mostly in New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico. The species has seedpods between 3 and 9 inches in length that are brown and thin.

Screwbean Mesquite

• California's deserts and western Texas are within the distribution of the screwbean mesquite (Proposis pubescens). The seedpods, contorted and looking like a corkscrew, give this mesquite species ornamental interest. These pods are much shorter on average than other mesquite types, developing between 1 and 2 inches long. Growing to 25 feet, screwbean mesquite produces spikes of greenish-white flowers in springtime.

More Mesquite Information

• Mesquite trees are valuable to wildlife, providing food and shelter. The seedpods are edible for such creatures as collared peccaries, mule deer and rodents, while birds such as doves use mesquite to nest in. The twisted trunks give the mesquite an unusual appearance, but the thorns come into play when considering where to plant them. Mesquites are low-maintenance trees, but you will have to clean up the pods when they drop. The trees tolerate extensive pruning, require little water and grow in many kinds of soils.