Title: Prosopis velutina - Wikipedia
Headings: Prosopis velutina
Prosopis velutina
Contents
Distribution
Description
Ecology
Uses
Food
See also
References
External links

Content: Composite image of velvet mesquite leaves folding up in the evening in response to decreasing light levels
The taproot sinks deep into the earth, far deeper than the height of the tree, taking advantage of water sources inaccessible to most plants. Roots extend to about 50 ft (15 m), but depths as much as 175 ft (53 m) have been recorded. Velvet mesquite seeds
Dry velvet mesquite seedpods
Flowering velvet mesquite catkins
The mesquite is deciduous, losing its leaves in winter, and leafs out again in the spring when all danger of frost is past. Because of its deep root system, it keeps its leaves in the dry months of summer in all but the most severe drought years. The flowers are yellow and form in the spring (after the leaves) in dense cylindrical clusters ( catkins) roughly 4 in (10 cm) long. Long seedpods ( legumes) form from the flowers. They are bright green and look somewhat like pea pods when young. Mature, dry pods are hard and contain several hard, dry, brown seeds. The seeds need to be scarified before they can germinate. This scarification typically takes place in the digestive tracts of animals, which eat the seeds and then disperse them widely, as the seed takes days to pass through the animal.