Title: Mesquite ecology | Texas Natural Resources Server
Headings: Mesquite ecology
Mesquite ecology
Seed ecology and seedling establishment
Growth and development
Rooting characteristics and water use patterns
Effects on other species and soils
Mesquite management
Literature Cited

Content: However, few of these actually produce pods. Pod production of 8 to 12 ft. tall honey mesquite sampled near Vernon in 1993 and 1995 ranged from 100 to 1500 per tree (Ansley, unpubl. data). Pod production varies per plant and per year. Rooting characteristics and water use patterns
Mesquite has been defined as a deep-rooted, water-using “phreatophyte” which avoids drought (Mooney et al. 1977). This characterization is based primarily on research in the Sonoran desert of California, an area of 3-inch annual precipitation, but which has unlimited water occurring at about 15 ft depth. In higher rainfall areas, such as that in north and central Texas, mesquite rely more on shallow lateral roots which extend as much as 50 ft from the plant (Fisher et al. 1959).