Prosopis Algarrobilla
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''Prosopis'' is a
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s in the family
Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...
. The current circumscription of the genus contains three species found in northern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. Previously it also contained around 40 species of spiny
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...
s and
shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...
s found in
subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...
and
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
regions of the Americas and Africa, now mostly placed in genera ''
Strombocarpa ''Strombocarpa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family (Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,Neltuma ''Neltuma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family (Fabaceae). It includes 43 species native to the Americas, which were previously placed in genus ''Prosopis''. The species range from the southwestern and central United States through ...
''. They often thrive in
arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...
soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...
and are resistant to
drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
, on occasion developing extremely deep
root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...
systems. Their
wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
is usually hard, dense and durable. Their
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
s are pods and may contain large amounts of
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
. The generic name means "
burdock ''Arctium'' is a genus of biennial plants commonly known as burdock, family Asteraceae. Native to Europe and Asia, several species have been widely introduced worldwide. Burdock's clinging properties, in addition to providing an excellent mecha ...
" in
late Latin Late Latin is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the 3rd to 6th centuries CE, and continuing into the 7th century in ...
and originated in the Greek language.


Species

The current circumscription of the genus contains three species, which are found in South Asia, the Middle East and northern Africa. * ''
Prosopis cineraria ''Prosopis cineraria'', also known as Persian mesquite or ghaf or khejri, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is native to arid portions of Western Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, ...
'' ( L.) Druce – Persian mesquite, ghaf, khejri (Arabian Peninsula, Iran and South Asia) * ''
Prosopis farcta ''Prosopis farcta'', the Syrian mesquite, is a species of the genus '' Prosopis'', growing in and around the Middle East. Botanical details ''Prosopis farcta'' is a below-ground tree. Above ground, it looks like a shrub with a height of 20–1 ...
'' (Banks &
Sol. Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander (19 February 1733 – 13 May 1782) was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil. Biograph ...
) J.F.Macbr.
– Syrian mesquite (northern Africa, Middle East, Central and South Asia) * ''
Prosopis koelziana ''Prosopis koelziana'' is a species of plant in the genus ''Prosopis''. It is found in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Iran. References

Prosopis, koelziana Trees of Western Asia Forages Drought-tolerant trees {{Mimosoideae-stub ...
'' Burkart (
Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
,
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
) Traditionally the genus included many more species with a cosmopolitan distribution. A taxonomic monograph in 1976 by Arturo Erhardo Burkart recognised 44 species and subdivided the genus into five sections: section ''Anonychium'' in Africa, section ''Prosopis'' in Asia, and sections ''Algarobia'', ''Monilicarpa'' and ''Strombocarpa'' in the New World. Twelve additional species in section ''Algarobia'' have since been recognised. A genomic analysis published in 2022 concluded that ''Prospopsis'' was polyphyletic and that species traditionally grouped under the genus ''Prosopis'' belonged to four genera that broadly aligned with the Burkart's sections: ''
Anonychium ''Anonychium'' is a genus of plant in the pea family (Fabaceae). It includes a single species, ''Anonychium africanum'', a tree native to northern Sub-saharan Africa from Mauritania to Uganda and to Saudi Arabia. It is known by the synonym ''Pros ...
'', ''
Neltuma ''Neltuma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family (Fabaceae). It includes 43 species native to the Americas, which were previously placed in genus ''Prosopis''. The species range from the southwestern and central United States through ...
'' (for sections ''Algarobia'' and ''Monilicarpa''), ''Prosopis'', and ''
Strombocarpa ''Strombocarpa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family (Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,mimosoid The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petal ...
genera.


Selected former species

; African species now placed in ''
Anonychium ''Anonychium'' is a genus of plant in the pea family (Fabaceae). It includes a single species, ''Anonychium africanum'', a tree native to northern Sub-saharan Africa from Mauritania to Uganda and to Saudi Arabia. It is known by the synonym ''Pros ...
'' * Former ''Prosopis'' sect. ''Anonychium'' ** ''
Prosopis africana ''Anonychium'' is a genus of plant in the pea family (Fabaceae). It includes a single species, ''Anonychium africanum'', a tree native to northern Sub-saharan Africa from Mauritania to Uganda and to Saudi Arabia. It is known by the synonym ''Pros ...
'' (Guill. & Perr.) Taub. – African mesquite or ''gele'' (in
Malinke Maninka (also known as Malinke), or more precisely Eastern Maninka, is the name of several closely related languages and dialects of the southeastern Manding subgroup of the Mande language family (itself, possibly linked to the Niger–Congo ...
, traditional ''djembe'' wood) ; New World species now placed in ''
Strombocarpa ''Strombocarpa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family (Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,Prosopis abbreviata ''Strombocarpa abbreviata'', commonly known as the algarrobillo espinoso, is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae. It was previously known as '' Prosopis abbreviata''. The species is endemic to Argentina and found in semi-ari ...
'' Benth. – algarrobillo espinoso ** ''
Prosopis pubescens ''Strombocarpa pubescens'' (formerly ''Prosopis pubescens''), commonly known as screwbean mesquite, is a species of Flowering plant, flowering shrub or small tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the southwestern United States (Tex ...
''
Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
– screwbean mesquite ** ''
Prosopis reptans ''Prosopis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The current circumscription of the genus contains three species found in northern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. Previously it also contained around 40 species ...
'' Benth. – tornillo ** ''
Prosopis strombulifera '' Strombocarpa strombulifera'' (formerli ''Prosopis strombulifera'') is a species of mesquite or '' algarrobo'', a shrub in the legume family. It is known by the English common names Argentine screwbean and creeping screwbean and the Spanish ...
'' ( Lam.) Benth. – creeping mesquite, Argentine screwbean ** ''
Prosopis tamarugo ''Strombocarpa tamarugo'', commonly known as the tamarugo, is a thorny evergreenbr>species of Flowering plant, flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamilia Mimosoideae. It is only found in northern Chile, particularly in the Pampa del ...
''
Phil. Rodolfo Amando (or Rudolph Amandus) Philippi (14 September 1808 – 23 July 1904) was a German–Chilean paleontologist and zoologist. Philippi contributed primarily to malacology and paleontology, but also published a major work on Diptera of C ...
– tamarugo ; New World species now placed in ''
Neltuma ''Neltuma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family (Fabaceae). It includes 43 species native to the Americas, which were previously placed in genus ''Prosopis''. The species range from the southwestern and central United States through ...
'' * Former section ''Monilicarpa'' ** ''
Prosopis argentina ''Prosopis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The current circumscription of the genus contains three species found in northern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. Previously it also contained around 40 species ...
'' Burkart * Former section ''Algarobia'' ** ''
Prosopis affinis ''Neltuma affinis'' (formerly ''Prosopis affinis'') is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, that is native to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Common names include algarrobillo, espinillo, ibopé-morotí, and ñandubay. It ...
'' Spreng. – nandubay, algarrobillo, espinillo, Ibopé-morotí ** ''
Prosopis alba ''Neltuma alba'' (formerly ''Prosopis alba'') is a South American tree species that grows in central Argentina, the Gran Chaco ecoregion, and part of the Argentine Mesopotamia, as well as Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru. It is known as ''alg ...
'' Griseb. – algarrobo blanco; ''ibopé'' or ''igopé'' (
Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guarani language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * G ...
) ** ''
Prosopis caldenia ''Neltuma caldenia'' (formerly ''Prosopis caldenia''), commonly known as the caldén, is a species of Flowering plant, flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. The tree is endemic to subtropical regions of Argentina. It thrives in sandy and arid so ...
'' Burkart – caldén ** ''
Prosopis chilensis ''Neltuma chilensis'' (formerly ''Prosopis chilensis'') is a species of tree in the genus '' Prosopis'', belonging to the family Fabaceae. It is found in parts of central Chile, southern Peru, Bolivia, and Andean (northwestern) Argentina. Its co ...
'' ( Molina) Stuntz – algarrobo Chileno, algarrobo blanco ** '' Prosopis fiebrigii'' Harms ** ''
Prosopis flexuosa ''Neltuma flexuosa'' (formerly ''Prosopis flexuosa''), commonly known as tortuous mesquite and a variety of Spanish vernacular names including ''algarrobo dulce'' and ''algarrobo negro'', is a species of flowering tree in the genus ''Neltuma'' of ...
''
DC. Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...
– alpataco, algarrobo negro ** ''
Prosopis glandulosa ''Neltuma glandulosa'', formerly ''Prosopis glandulosa'', commonly known as honey mesquite, is a species of small to medium-sized, thorny shrub or tree in the legume family (Fabaceae). Distribution The plant is primarily native to the Southwes ...
'' Torr. – honey mesquite ** '' Prosopis hassleri'' Harms ** ''
Prosopis juliflora ''Neltuma juliflora '' (, ''Cuji'' in Venezuela, ''Trupillo'' in Colombia, ''Aippia'' in the Wayuunaiki language and long-thorn kiawe in Hawaii), formerly ''Prosopis juliflora'', is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae, a kind of mesquit ...
'' (Sw.) DC. ** ''
Prosopis kuntzei ''Neltuma kuntzei'' (formerly ''Prosopis kuntzei'') is a South American leguminous tree species that inhabits the westernmost Gran Chaco forests covering areas of Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It has also been able to colonize the nearby past ...
'' Harms ex Kuntze – itín, barba de tigre, carandá, palo mataco ** ''
Prosopis laevigata ''Neltuma laevigata'' (formerly ''Prosopis laevigata''), commonly known as smooth mesquite, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to Mexico and Texas. In Mexico, the species is found in the nation's the centra ...
'' (
Humb. Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian ministe ...
& Bonpl. ex
Willd. Carl Ludwig Willdenow (22 August 1765 – 10 July 1812) was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants. Willdenow was also ...
) M.C.Johnst.
– smooth mesquite ** ''
Prosopis nigra ''Neltuma nigra'' (formerly ''Prosopis nigra'') is a South American leguminous tree species that inhabits the Gran Chaco ecoregion (in particular, the transition zone between the Wet Chaco and the Southern Chaco), in Argentina and Paraguay. It ...
'' (Griseb.) Hieron. – algarrobo negro, algarrobo amarillo, algarrobo dulce, algarrobo morado ** ''
Prosopis pallida ''Neltuma pallida'' (formerly ''Prosopis pallida'') is a species of mesquite tree. It has the common names kiawe () (in Hawaii), huarango (in its native South America) and American carob, as well as "bayahonda" (a generic term for ''Prosopis''), ...
'' (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.)
Kunth Carl Sigismund Kunth (18 June 1788 – 22 March 1850) was a German botanist. He was also known as Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth. He was one of the early systematic botanists who focused on studying the plants of th ...
– American carob, ''huarango, kiawe'' ( Hawaiian) ** ''
Prosopis rojasiana ''Prosopis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The current circumscription of the genus contains three species found in northern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. Previously it also contained around 40 species ...
'' Burkart ** '' Prosopis ruscifolia'' Griseb. – vinal ** ''
Prosopis velutina ''Neltuma velutina'' (formerly ''Prosopis velutina''), commonly known as velvet mesquite, is a small to medium-sized tree. It is a legume adapted to a dry, desert climate. Though considered to be a Noxious weeds, noxious weed in states outside i ...
'' Wooton – velvet mesquite ; Other species formerly placed in ''Prosopis'' *''
Acacia atramentaria ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Australa ...
'' Benth. (as ''P. astringens'' Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.) *''
Entada elephantina ''Entada elephantina'', commonly known as the eland's wattle or elephant's root, is a subshrub in the mimosoid clade of legumes. They occur widely and in several bioregions of southern Africa in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Afr ...
'' (Burch.) S.A.O’Donnell & G.P.Lewis (as ''P. elephantina'' (Burch.) E.Mey. or ''P. elephantorrhiza'' Spreng.) *''
Prosopidastrum globosum ''Prosopidastrum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes seven species of shrubs native to the subtropical Americas, with six species native to Bolivia and Argentina, and one ('' Prosopidastrum mexicanum'') native to ...
'' (Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.) Burkart (as ''P. globosa'' Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.)


References


Notes


General references

*Paciecznik, N. M., Harris P. J. C., & S. J. Smith. 2003
Identifying Tropical Prosopis Species: A Field Guide
HDRA, Coventry, UK. .

(FAO Document Repository)

(website of the Vascular Plant Herbarium of the University of Arizona in Tucson)
Plant Walk 2 UofA


External links

* *
U.S. Federal Noxious Weed List (USDA)The Prosopis Website (Has a nice range map)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133422 Forages Medicinal plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Fabaceae genera