Mesquite (mess-KEET) is a many-branched tree 15 to 23 feet tall, which
flowers from late April to June. It is common bordering desert washes,
often forming dense thickets. The flowers furnish honey bees and other
insects with nectar, and the long, sweet pods ripen in autumn, providing
food for livestock. The fruits have long been a staple in the diet of
desert Indians, who used the trunks, roots, and branches of the trees
for firewood and the dried gum-like sap to mend pottery and as a black
dye. The inner bark provided the Indians with materials for basketry and
coarse fabrics. Roots of mesquite trees have been reported to penetrate
to a depth of 50 to 60 feet to tap sources of ground water.
_Prosopis juliflora_ Pea Family
[Illustration: HONEY MESQUITE]