Prosopis ruizlealii

Species

Prosopis ruizlealii Burkart

Family

Fabaceae

Subfamily

Mimosoideae

NOTE

NOTE: Only one seed of Prosopis ruizlealii was available for examination. Therefore, the description and images in this fact sheet may not be representative of this species’ seeds.

Common names

mesquite

Description

Pods linear-oblong, straight to falcate, subcompressed, 5–17 cm long, 9–16 mm wide, 4–7 mm thick. Short-stipitate, apex mucronate, margins nearly straight. Dark reddish or nearly black, veins obscure. Endocarp segments subquadrate to obliquely ovate, boney, closed, 8–12 mm long and wide, 5–8 mm thick; mesocarp pulpy-fibrous or mealy. Seeds oriented longitudinally.

Seeds obovate to asymmetrically obovate in outline, 6–8 mm long, 3.7–5 mm wide, 2.7–4 mm thick, umbo indistinct, elliptic in cross section. Pleurogram average in size. Lens a mound.

Identification considerations

Similar species

Prosopis denudans Benth. (Pod is similar.)

Distribution

Argentina

Habitat

Andes foothills, arid, southern region of Argentina

General information

Prosopis ruizlealii is a spiny shrub, 0.6–3 m tall. It is closely related to P. denudans, of which it is possibly not more than a more robust, northern subspecies.