The soft mesquite (Prosopis laevigata) is an arboreal species belonging to the Fabaceae family. It is distributed mainly in central and northern Mexico, but it is also possible to locate it in other countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and the United States..
It is a tree about 13 m tall, with petiolate leaves of 1-3 pairs of sessile pinnae, yellowish-white flowers arranged in spikes that produce a pod-like fruit, which is dark brown in color and contains oblong colored seeds. yellowish white.
The use of this arboreal species is very wide. It is used as fodder for livestock and wildlife, as well as for the production of honey and wax in beekeeping farms..
It is also used for environmental protection plans, as it protects soils from desertification and erosion. Its wood is used as firewood or charcoal, and a gum is extracted from this plant that can replace the gum arabic produced by plants of the genus Acacia.
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It is an arboreal species with a minimum height of 12-13 m and a maximum diameter of 80 cm at 1 m.
The bark is dark brown in color, fissured, with the crown wider than it is high. Its branches are devoid of pubescence and have stipular spines about 4 cm long..
The leaves are always present on the tree (evergreen), although they sometimes fall during the winter. They are petiolate and present between 1-3 pairs of pinnae with 10 to 20 sessile or without petiole..
The inflorescences are dense spikes that are about 10 cm long. The color of the flowers is white-yellowish.
The flowers begin to appear from February to March, while they disappear from April to May. This flowering may coincide with the new leaf production.
The fruit is a linear, falcate legume that measures between 7 to 20 cm long by 0.8 - 1.5 cm wide, yellowish-brown in color, sometimes reddish, and contains oblong, compressed yellowish-white seeds that measure approximately 1 cm..
The fruits of this plant are produced from June to July each year.
The taxonomic classification of this species is as follows:
-Kingdom: Plantae.
-Phylum: Tracheophyta.
-Class: Magnoliopsida.
-Subclass: Magnoliidae.
-Superorder: Rosanae.
-Order: Fabales.
-Family: Fabaceae.
-Gender: Prosopis.
-Species: Prosopis laevigata (Willd.) M.C. Johnst. (1962).
The soft mesquite can also be mentioned with some synonyms like: Acacia laevigata (basionym), Algarobia dulcis, Mimosa laevigata, Mimosa rotundata, Neltuma attenuata, Neltuma michoacana, Neltuma palmeri, Neltuma pallescens.
Prosopis laevigata it is a kind of terrestrial habit. It is distributed in countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Peru and the United States. Especially in Mexico it is distributed from Michoacán to Oaxaca, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, San Luis de Potosí, Guanajuato, Durango, Zacatecas, Coahuila and Hidalgo, among others..
For its part, the altitude at which this tree grows varies from 0 to 2300 meters above sea level. It is characterized by growing in soils with a depth of less than 50 cm, with a sandy or clay-sandy texture. The drainage conditions of these soils can be poor.
Regarding the physical characteristics, this species adapts to neutral pH, and can tolerate a high content of salts in the soil. The origin of this type of soils is normally igneous and limestone.
Regarding the climate, the soft mesquite grows at an average temperature of 20.5 ° C, with minimum temperatures of 13.5 ° C and maximum of 28.5 ° C; the precipitations vary from 350 to 1200 mm annually. It is generally found in arid or semi-arid areas.
Some important characteristics that affect the development of this tree are for example frosts, which can decrease flowering and fruiting as a result of solifluction in the soil. The consequences of this process are the death of the shoots or suckers, wilting and subsequent fall of the leaves, flowers and fruits..
In arid areas, soft mesquite is a highly valued species for its uses as food for livestock, for which the leaves and pods are extracted; on the other hand, they are consumed by humans in different ways such as flours, fermented drinks, or pods.
Tanning agents are extracted from the bark of this tree. In addition, its wood is used to make staves, sawn wood, handles or edges for tools, rubbers and tannins. Also, this wood is used to manufacture shoe lasts at an industrial level..
With regard to its medicinal uses, this species is used as an emetic or purgative. The resin produced by this plant is used to treat dysentery and eye complications.
In addition, wood has a high calorific value, which is why it is widely used as firewood or to obtain very good quality charcoal. Its flowers are used for the production of honey.
From the environmental point of view, the soft mesquite is a species that is used for its high soil retention capacity, which is why it is useful in sites that have undergone desertification and erosion processes. In addition, it improves soil fertility and stabilizes the content of salts in the substrate..
Squishy mesquite can be spread both sexually and asexually. For its sexual propagation, seeds are used, which must be taken from healthy individuals free of any disease or pest and with vigorous bearing..
The collection of these seeds is carried out annually and manually from large fruits also free of any pest or disease. For this procedure, the pods are soaked in water to soften the shell..
These pods are then macerated and left to dry in layers spread out in the sun and finally rubbed against a rough surface to separate the seeds from the pod cover and the pulp..
For its part, asexual propagation is carried out through layering, cuttings, stakes, twigs or rackets..
For the maintenance of this plant or during its growth, weeding should be carried out to avoid competition for light between this tree and the herbs around it..
It is advisable to keep a single plant or stake per pot so that it develops more vigorously, and if it is affected by any pest or disease, that the damage be treated locally..
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