Title: 
Headings: MESQUITE TREES
MESQUITE
 
TREES
 

Content: While
 
both
 
trees'
 
seed
 
pods
 
are
 
long
 
and
 
legumous,
 
the
 
velvet
 
mesquite
 
pods
 
have
 
a
 
slight
 
velvety
 
appearance
 
and
 
feel. Native
 
Americans
 
in
 
some
 
areas
 
could
 
have
 
hardly
 
survived
 
without
 
the
 
mesquite. They
 
would
 
grind
 
the
 
pods
 
into
 
a
 
course
 
flour,
 
and
 
after
 
winnowing,
 
grind
 
the
 
seeds
 
again
 
into
 
a
 
fine
 
flour. Cakes
 
would
 
be
 
made
 
of
 
both
 
flours
 
and
 
would
 
turn
 
late
 
spring
 
and
 
the
 
summer
 
into
 
a
 
time
 
of
 
plenty. Eradicating
 
mesquite
 
is
 
difficult
 
because
 
the
 
plant's
 
bud
 
regeneration
 
zone
 
can
 
extend
 
down
 
to
 
6
 
inches
 
below
 
ground
 
level. The
 
tree
 
can
 
regenerate
 
from
 
a
 
piece
 
of
 
root
 
left
 
in
 
the
 
soil. Some
 
herbicides
 
are
 
not
 
effective
 
or
 
only
 
partially
 
effective
 
against
 
mesquite. The
 
tree's
 
flowers
 
provide
 
a
 
nectar
 
source
 
for
 
bees
 
to
 
produce
 
mesquite
 
honey,
 
which
 
has
 
a
 
characteristic
 
flavor. Mesquite
 
trees
 
grow
 
quickly
 
and
 
furnish
 
shade
 
and
 
wildlife
 
habitat
 
where
 
other
 
trees
 
will
 
not
 
grow. Being
 
a
 
legume,
 
it
 
fixes
 
nitrogen
 
in
 
the
 
soil
 
where
 
it
 
grows,
 
although
 
this
 
is
 
rather
 
newly
 
discovered
 
and
 
is
 
still
 
a
 
poorly
 
understood
 
part
 
of
 
its
 
life
 
cycle.