Prosopis pubescens

From California Natives Wiki

Species Name: Prosopis pubescens
Common Name: Screwbean Mesquite

Summer blooming small tree with yellow flowers. Fruit used as a coffee substitute. Recommended as specimen tree. Spines are good for informal barrier.

Plant Family: Fabaceae

Plant Type: Tree

Height by Width: 10-25' H x 20' W

Growth Habit: Upright, multi-branching

Deciduous/Evergreen: Winter deciduous

Growth Rate: Moderate

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Soil Preference: Well-draining

Water Requirements: Drought-tolerant to occasional

Cold Hardy to: 15 degrees F

Flower Season: Spring

Flower Color: Yellow

Endangered?: Not Listed

Distribution: San Bernardino Mtns, Deserts

Natural Habitat: Creek bottoms, sandy gravelly washes, ravines from 300-4000'

Care and Maintenance

History

• Introduced into cultivation in California by Theodore Payne.
• From California Native Plants, Theodore Payne's 1941 catalog: Deciduous shrub or small tree with rather slender twigs bearing stout sharp spines. Flowers greenish yellow in spikes 2 to 3 inches long followed by pods curiously coiled into straight cylindrical bodies 1 to 2 inches in length resembling a screw. Indigenous to the desert regions and valuable for planting under similar conditions. Gallon cans, 50c; 5 gallon cans, $1.75."

Other Names

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