Title: 
Headings: MESQUITE TREES
MESQUITE
 
TREES
 

Content: The
 
bean
 
pods
 
they
 
produce
 
can
 
be
 
turned
 
into
 
flour
 
and
 
used
 
for
 
bak-
ing. Animals
 
can
 
eat
 
the
 
fruit; coyotes
 
survive
 
almost
 
exclusively
 
on
 
mesquite
 
pods
 
during
 
the
 
winter
 
months. Mesquite
 
wood
 
used
 
for
 
firewood
 
burns
 
slowly
 
and
 
generates
 
great
 
heat; it
 
is
 
used
 
to
 
barbecue
 
food
 
in
 
the
 
southwest
 
and
 
lends
 
a
 
distinct
 
flavor
 
to
 
whatever
 
is
 
cooked
 
over
 
it. Mesquite
 
is
 
an
 
extremely
 
hardy,
 
drought-tolerant
 
plant
 
because
 
it
 
can
 
draw
 
water
 
from
 
the
 
water
 
table
 
through
 
its
 
long
 
taproot
 
(recorded
 
at
 
up
 
to
 
190
 
ft
 
in
 
depth). However,
 
it
 
can
 
also
 
use
 
water
 
in
 
the
 
upper
 
part
 
of
 
the
 
ground,
 
depending
 
upon
 
availability. The
 
tree
 
can
 
easily
 
and
 
rapidly
 
switch
 
from
 
utilizing
 
one
 
water
 
source
 
to
 
the
 
other. Many
 
people,
 
especially
 
ranchers,
 
consider
 
the
 
tree
 
a
 
nuisance
 
because
 
they
 
believe
 
it
 
competes
 
with
 
rangeland
 
grasses
 
for
 
moisture. In
 
many
 
parts
 
of
 
Texas,
 
particularly
 
West
 
and
 
Central
 
Texas,
 
the
 
pro-
liferation
 
of
 
mesquite
 
is
 
blamed
 
for
 
lowering
 
of
 
groundwater
 
tables.