Title: 
Headings: MESQUITE TREES
MESQUITE
 
TREES
 

Content: However,
 
salt
 
cedar
 
has
 
had
 
a
 
greater
 
effect
 
on
 
water
 
consumption,
 
in
 
some
 
cases
 
even
 
displacing
 
existing
 
mesquite. New
 
growth
 
of
 
mesquite
 
has
 
tough,
 
needle-sharp
 
thorns
 
up
 
to
 
3
 
inches
 
long. The
 
spines
 
are
 
tough
 
enough
 
to
 
penetrate
 
the
 
soft
 
soles
 
of
 
sneakers
 
or
 
similar
 
footwear
 
and
 
can
 
easily
 
punc-
ture
 
tires. Fortunately
 
older
 
branches
 
lose
 
their
 
spine
 
as
 
they
 
grow,
 
making
 
it
 
safer
 
around
 
children,
 
pets,
 
and
 
animals. Mesquite
 
trees
 
furnish
 
shade
 
and
 
wildlife
 
habitat
 
where
 
other
 
trees
 
will
 
not
 
grow. They
 
will
 
often
 
be
 
found
 
in
 
alkaline
 
soils
 
near
 
water
 
holes. Although
 
a
 
single
 
flower
 
of
 
the
 
blossom
 
is
 
only
 
a
 
few
 
millimeters
 
long,
 
they
 
are
 
clustered
 
into
 
a
 
yellow
 
creamy
 
blossom
 
attracting
 
many
 
different
 
types
 
of
 
pollenators. The
 
various
 
types
 
of
 
mesquite
 
can
 
be
 
identified
 
by
 
the
 
seed
 
pods. Screwbean
 
mesquite
 
pods
 
curl
 
around
 
back
 
onto
 
them
 
and
 
are
 
the
 
easiest
 
to
 
identify. Honeybean
 
and
 
velvet
 
mesquite
 
are
 
a
 
little
 
harder
 
to
 
differentiate.